Many prayers for you this evening, as I know well the weariness of your heart. Do not, however, believe for a second that your soul’s longing for solitude is a weakness. We were designed that way and Christ himself gave example. One of my favorite and often overlooked verses reminds me that my heart’s cry for solitude is one that should not be ignored:

Luke 5:16

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

The whole passage is a lovely portrait of the delicate balance of ministry and being ministered to.

I am certain that you already know this, but when so much of your life is centered on service, it is so very important to remember that it is God who has placed that cry for solitude in your heart. Do take time to be alone.

I too, struggle as a Mom in knowing where to put my spiritual needs. The times that I place myself dead last are the times when I fail to live up to my potential as a parent. I have so much admiration for how you and your husband are raising your children. Be encouraged in knowing that another is lifting you up in prayer.

Thanks for writing!

As always, thanks for the great entry.

I’m a BSFer as well. From your header, it looks like you live in the Pacific NW. I lived in Portland for 4 years. Loved it.

As far as reading goes–I was the same way when I started blogging–that’s where all my downtime went. But then I missed reading, and starting making more of an effort to do so, and that has now turned into a little bit of a reviewing “job” at another blog, which is cool. I don’t think that those of us who are reading are better or wiser or smarter than those who don’t have time. It’s simply a matter of what you want to do with your free time–if it’s blogging, then blog (and read others). If it’s TV and movies, that’s okay in moderation, too. I have found that I want to make time to write/blog and read, so the blogging has slipped off a bit (especially reading so many blogs), and the TV watching is down to almost nothing.

Thank you for stopping by Bibliophile’s Retreat. I organized my list by months because I know about how much I read in a given amount of time so it was a measuring stick of what can I really expect to get through in this timeframe - leaving a bit of space to add in if needed or to take longer if for some reason I do. It also allows me to track where I’m at in attacking my piles of books and hopefully they won’t be quite so overwhelming in a few weeks.

Your post is a good reminder of where our focus should be and that we always need Him to provide whether it is strength to face whatever comes our way, the daily needs such as food and finances or the ability to reflect Him to those around us. I have a friend who says - “anything good we are able to produce is not of our own making but a result of God working through us since on our own the best we have to offer is still toxic”. Your post is another of those reminders like my friend’s statement that we need our Lord to get through and to be who He has designed us to be.

Melissa in OR