Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Park (10/25/12)
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TITLE: Solitude | Previous Challenge Entry
By Dawn Winston
10/31/12 -
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Matthew 14:23 “After he had dismissed them, he went up on the mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.”
Where would Jesus go today? Where is there quiet to communicate with God? Way far out in the country, far from a road, one might encounter the deep peace and solitude Jesus sought, that Jesus needed to pray.
I used to live in Las Vegas, an island of 24 hour light and noise surrounded by a vast expanse of desert nothingness. It was in the Mojave and any type of vegetation is rare. It is hundreds of miles of rock and scorpions, an occasional alien looking “tree”. In the overpowering silence there was sacredness. Scorched and dry, where 100 plus days are common, which could be described as hellish, there was peace and holiness. In the overpowering silence there was sacredness. I cannot explain it. I think of the desert fathers. They had a profound influence on faith up to today, and in turn so did the desert.
Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Gethsemane, at the base of the Mount of Olives was a garden, a small park. Here Jesus prayed his most difficult plea. We should follow Jesus by retreating to our local quiet place to pray. In this day and age, however, with most of the planet living in cities, a local park may be the best we can do.
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I did stumble over this phrase, though:
where 100 plus days are common,
I wasn't sure if you meant that the temperature soared to one hundred degrees or if the area went one hundred days without rain.
I live in what I lovingly call the middle of nowhere. There is a small town about five miles away and one of NY's bigger cities about an hour north of us. I could relate to the need for solitude and think you did a lovely job with this short but poignant piece.
God bless!