According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube.

We all have our average amount of time spent on these technological distractions but there is an extreme. Determining a proper rule of overuse must come within the individual himself. How is this done? By seeking what is priority and what is not. It is understandable when one uses the phone or Internet for business or to check up on people through e-mails etc., but the ease to access is what seduces ourselves to indulging more than necessary. We often label our spare time as boredom. Therefore we go shopping or do something else that will occupy our mind.

How much time do we spend confining ourselves in solitude with our soul? Honestly? I was not successful on finding a statistic on that topic, but I would speculate that it is minimal. Not only do we get distracted by modern-day fads but it is so common to ignore what we need most. Solitude. Quiet time with the soul. A window into man’s alone time with his Creator.

The fear of being alone petrifies people. We keep up a constant stream of words even if they are inane. We buy radios with head phones and lace them around our ears so that when no one is around we at least are not condemned to silence. Solitude is a discipline just like prayer, bible reading, meditation, and many others. It consists of having a portable sanctuary with us in the heart at all times. We must develop a discipline for solitude.

Jesus portrayed solitude on many occasions. After feeding the five thousand Jesus “went up into the hills by Himself…” (Matt. 14:23). “In the morning, a great while before day, He rose and went out to a lonely place…” (Mark 1:35). I could go on, but perhaps this is sufficient to show that the seeking out of solitary places was a regular practice for Jesus. So it should be for us.

Without silence there is no solitude. Solitude and inner silence are inseparable. Though silence sometimes involves the absence of audible speech, it always involves the act of listening. Simply to refrain from talking, without a heart listening to God, is not silence. Under the discipline of silence and solitude we learn when to speak and when to refrain from speaking. The wise preacher of Ecclesiastes says that there is “a time to keep silent and a time to speak” (Eccles. 3:7). Control is the key. James tells us that the tongue is the hardest to tame. This is the only practice to train the tongue.

This discipline is not easy and has its temptations. The one who seeks this discipline as a law, runs the risk of turning it into an absurdity. To say “I am not going to speak for forty days!” just to over emphasize your devotion, is always going to be a severe temptation. I suggest beginning with little steps into solitude. Out of mere suggestion, don’t turn on the television until you have spent some alone time. Don’t get out of bed until you have spent some alone time. While the morning coffee is brewing spend some alone time.

There are always going to be the tempting excuses when it comes to developing any discipline. It is Satan’s way of keeping you from hurting him all the more. Continue to mentally motivate the mind with the thoughts of the spiritual inclination that will take place. Challenge yourself to find room for the soul.