July 19, 2023

“One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound wisdom.” – Proverbs 18:1

Anyone who has known me for very long knows that I am an extrovert. When we run errands, my family often jokes, “this should only take about 30 minutes or so…unless dad runs into someone he knows, then we’ll be there for hours!” I have always enjoyed people, and time with friends has always energized me. I have had to learn the spiritual discipline of going away and being still. I have watched the example of Jesus and discovered that sometimes you need to be alone.

However, I have seen people take this to an unhealthy extreme. Introverts often use Jesus’ example of going away to pray as an excuse to detach from the family of God. In my years of ministry, I have heard many things like, “pastor, I have church alone in the mountains,” or, “my time with God is not in the church building, but in the wind on my motorcycle.” I too love those things, but Proverbs 18:1 holds a very strong warning for anyone who thinks isolating themselves is the way to have a healthy relationship with God. To separate yourself from the people of God for an extended period of time is selfish and the opposite of sound wisdom. Enjoy the mountains and love that motorcycle ride, but those things should never take the place of time with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Heavenly Father, teach us the healthy balance of time away with just You and time together with family in Christ. Relationships are hard, so give us Your love for people so we will never be in danger of isolating ourselves. Remove any selfishness and give us sound wisdom so that we will always take time to be with others.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon