Hagar (meaning flight or forsaken), handmaid of Sarai, acts as a model of hope in the midst of distressing circumstances. Tasked with bearing a son for her mistress Sarai, Hagar was thereafter banished to the desert in what must have felt like an ultimate act of betrayal and unkindness from her mistress.

Spring and summer are nearly here, although where I live, the last few days have felt like winter is gone for good. With the change of seasons, it reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

We’ve all heard the story of the innkeeper. He’s the bad guy in the story, right? The one we talk about who forced Jesus to be born in a barn. It’s interesting to me that he gets a bad rap. God started showing me how the innkeeper was a good guy in the story. He’s the one who gave what he had. He didn’t have a palace, but he gave what he had. That makes him a hero in the story and why he was given a place in the story.

For years, I was happy being single. Naturally, during my years as a single Christian woman, I had crushes and possibilities, but inwardly, I thought that I was probably one of those Christians meant to be single my whole life. Instead of viewing this as a loss, I would instead get excited to think about all the people I could meet and help and all the trips I could take!

I love that the Bible has so many verses on joy and rejoicing. St Paul who wrote to the Philippians from prison says ‘Rejoice, again I say rejoice.’ When Jesus prays for himself, his disciples, and for us his children, he prays that we will enjoy the joy he enjoyed. Doesn’t that sound beautiful?

Today, I want to focus on just one which is Solitude. Last year I did a 9-month program where we learned and got to practice some of the disciplines. We had a solitude retreat. We took time to spend time with God rather than be in the word praying and for a prayer walk. The Bible tells us Jesus even took time to go spend time with God.

A more appealing alternative to finding solstice in nature than my ow futile attempts at solitude when I had young children; in moments when I craved a quiet respite, I would flee to the bathroom or my small closet. I would wonder, in those busy times of child-rearing and child training, if I would ever be able to have a clean and orderly patch of my small world for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Yet, the relief God promises is real, an oasis of eternity, wisdom, respite, bounty, and growth.  He is also with us every labored step of the way, unlike Satan, who will leave us alone in our pain, doubts, and confusion. We may perceive our experiences as a desert, but with and through Christ, we will arrive at a place of comfort, peace, and growth.