The allure of solitary places.

As I was reading through the book of Luke the other day, I was reminded of how much I love parables. There are a lot of really great illustrations in the Bible.

But . . . there's some really weird stuff in there, too. Take, for example, Luke 8:26-39 - the story about a man who's possessed by a legion of demons. The demons beg Jesus to send them into a bunch of pigs rather than back into the Abyss, and then the pigs immediately rush into a lake and drown themselves. Voila! The man is healed.

Normally, I would get hung up on questions like, "What happened to the demons after the pigs drowned? Did they then have to go back to the Abyss? If so, why were the pigs necessary?"

What tripped me up this time, though, was the last part of verse 29. The possessed man is described as being  ". . .  driven by the demons into solitary places."

I'm an introverted soul, and I need a lot of time alone to feel refreshed. I try to make sure I keep a lot of space in my schedule to sort out my thoughts and quiet my soul. When I've spent too much time in the company of others, I get a gentle nagging from that "still, small voice" beckoning me to stop performing and just spend some time listening. 

What's dangerous, though, is that isolation (by definition) makes it easy to hide. When I'm alone, I don't have to explain anything to other people. I don't have to justify my behavior. I don't have to consider anyone else's opinion or perspective. Therefore, if I spend my alone time listening to the wrong voices (by which I mean the devil rather than the Spirit - I don't have actual, audible voices in my head, I promise), I can quickly find myself worse off as opposed to refreshed. The devil knows this and often uses this as a tool against me. He'll do anything he can to drive a wedge between me and my friends and family.

So how do I know the difference? The clue is usually in the trigger. Do I want to be alone so that I can rest and pray, or do I just want to avoid my responsibilities to my community? If I'm angry, impatient, or sad, then being alone allows me to wallow in those feelings. Self-pity can feel deceptively luxurious . . . but, ultimately, it only leads to more dissatisfaction. If the desire for isolation is instead a desire to hear the voice of Truth more clearly, then solitude can create space for healing, leaving me refreshed to better love and serve those around me.

Marg, I know you're reading this - so call me soon or I'm coming after you.