This morning I was having my time with God . I had picked up a small devotional book at a garage sale and in addition to “My Utmost For His Highest” which I always read from in addition to my Bible, I read from this other book as well.

The author was describing the various spots in her house where she could have her daily time with God. One spot overlooked an orchard, the other was a cozy chair surrounded by books. She described the scenes deliciously.

I was in my usual spot overlooking my garden and thinking how much I liked my spot as well. It’s important to have a place to pray. And it’s even better to have a designated place.  But sometimes those places are hard to find.

I’ve done a lot of traveling because of my husband’s obscene number of frequent flyer miles.  I’ve been to large, extremely crowded, noisy-to -the point-it-hurts-your ears-cities in Asia, South America, and Europe. The noise level is actually the first thing I think of when I think of these countries because my husband always worked in big cities. And big cities are noisy.

So as I was thanking God for my wonderful place of solitude and silence, I suddenly found my thoughts going in a different direction. Prompted I’m sure by God’s leading.

Let’s just say I was brought up short as I realized how fortunate I was to have a quiet place all my own.

You see, it’s easy for me to cozy up in my chair in my nice surroundings and give God my undivided attention.  But what about all those for whom privacy and silence is unheard of?  Where the noise from the streets, or even through the thin walls of the adjoining apartment, disrupts the quiet. What then? How do people in those situations manage to carve out private time with God?

I felt humbled and embarrassed to think that I was so unaware of the circumstances in which other Christians find themselves. And I’m further chagrined to admit that it’s shallow of me to think they can’t find a way.  Of course, they can. Anyone can “cocoon” their minds away from the frenetic activity around them if they want to. And probably people in these bustling, noisy, people-practically walking-on top-of-other people-cities have found a way to do just that.

We all have time when getting away to be with God has to be in our thoughts only. I love the Psalms for this very reason. The pictures that are painted so beautifully give me a place to escape in my mind. I’ve done it in myriad emergency room visits. I’ve done it when traveling. I’ve done it as a guest in other people’s homes when privacy is limited.

I want to learn to practice this “getting away in my head” more often. It will keep me in touch with how other people have to manage their time with God. I don’t want to ever forget that while I can leisurely pray, other’s lives are so frantic they’re straining to look heavenward and shoot up any kind of prayer.

And when it comes to depression, I really want to remember how my circumstances and the support of my husband, family, and friends equipped me to fight my depression. That makes a big difference. So from now on, I want to make sure that when I blog about depression that I stay sensitive to the lack of support others may have in their battle.

So I guess this post today is for me more than anyone else. To remind myself that whatever I say has to ring true for the majority of my followers.

That if I suggest exercise is extremely beneficial in the battle with depression that I’m at least aware that the man or woman who gets up at dawn and doesn’t get home till after dark, might find the suggestion ludicrous. (But that exercise is the number one way to fight depression is still true.) It’s finding the right way to say it.

That if I suggest that solitude and silence are essential to our spiritual growth, that I remember those noisy, bustling cities. I don’t ever want to forget that my reality is just that, my reality. Someone else’s’ reality may look very different.

Anyway, this really did all come about from my prayer time this morning.  I had different issues to consider this morning but I guess God had a different idea.

God certainly “shows up” in unusual ways. doesn’t He?

God bless and have a good day.