The Necessity of Solitude, Quietness, and Obscurity
7:15 PM
Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. - Richard Foster
Thoughts:
- Limited to Western Culture?
- We might be leading this.
- Is deeper more important?
- Is deeper not more intelligent in and of itself?
- Is it more a matter laziness?
- Is laziness causing lack of depth?
- It is not saying we don't need intelligent or gifted people but more of a balance with depth.
Causes of lack of depth:
- Technology
- Texting
- Flexi-space work
- Convenience
What is depth:
- Thoughtfulness
- Wisdom
- Seeing the big picture
- Not caught up in the details
- Don't sweat the small stuff
- Meaningful relationships
- Opposite of shallow
Traits of a deep person:
- Active listener
- Say meaningful things
- Slow to speak
- Can experience a connection with them.
- May be more open with others
- Introspective
- Good self-awareness
Galatians 1: 10-17
- Paul was self-evaluating
- Everything Paul was, was undercut, he was new person and needed to bring it all to terms.
- Paul has an incredible confidence partly because he had taken time to reconcile with himself.
- We need to spend time with ourselves so we don't sacrifice that relationship just as other relationships require time.
3 lessons from discussion:
- Instead of speeding up, slow down and re-think
- Instead of talking more, be quiet and reflect.
- Instead of seeking a place of power, be still and relax.
