He possessed nothing of his own and would have nothing to do with invitations and banquets. He always ate alone, just enough to sustain his sick, emaciated body, and he did not accept invitations because they would involve him in worldly conversations.
The Life of Saint John Chrysostom
On the Vanity of Riches
Category: LONELINESS & SOLITUDE
-
-
Be not often present at feasts, nor at all in dissolute company, when it may be avoided; for variety of pleasing objects steals away the heart of man; and company is either violent or enticing; and we are weak or complying, or perhaps desirous enough to be abused. But if you be unavoidably or indiscreetly engaged, let not mistaken civility or good nature engage thee either to the temptation of staying (if thou understandest thy weakness) or the sin of drinking inordinately.
—Rev. Jeremy Taylor, On Christian Sobriety -Rules for obtaining temperance., The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor, Volume 3. THE RULE AND EXERCISES OF HOLY LIVING AND DYING….: The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying -
If you’ve been taught that it is okay to be in this self-sacrificed type of environment and stay away from relationships, you will never, ever grow. That is not spirituality.
That spirituality that says, I’m going to be on my own—read, pray, do whatever, and I don’t care about anybody else—you are not part of the body of Christ. You are dismembering yourself from the body of Christ.
—Fr. Paul Girguis, Redeeming the Time: Setting Boundaries
-
There is a well known saying: “He who lives only for himself never lived.” Then in the service, you must get out of your shell to meet others. You must get out of the “I” sphere to spread your love among all. You feel that your message in life is to do good to all those whom God send in your way. The more you gain experience in life and broadness in the heart, the circle of your service will get bigger. It would not be limited to your house and your family, and not only to your relatives, neighbours, friends and colleagues, but it will reach to a range that is wider and wider…
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means -
Tell Him: ‘O Lord, I cannot find anybody except You who understands me.’
For with whom I feel safe, I open my heart to Him, tell Him all my secrets and explain my weakness, which He will hear and not despise. I pour my tears before Him and reveal my longing. With Him I don’t feel alone but with a heart that holds me and power that supports me… Without You, O Lord, I feel empty and void of any real existence. You are Emmanuel, God with us… My soul longs for Your omnipotent soul, and longs for what is above the material; the world and all that is in it… Yes, inside me there is longing for the unlimited and nobody will satisfy it except You…
—H.H. Pope Shenouda III, The Spiritual Means
-
Do not shut yourself up with your sorrow.—A friend, in the first anguish of bereavement, wrote, saying that he must give up the Christian ministries in which he had delighted; and I replied immediately, urging him not to do so, because there is no solace for heartpain like ministry. The temptation of great suffering is towards isolation, withdrawal from the life of men, sitting alone, and keeping silence. Do not yield to it. Break through the icy chains of reserve, if they have already gathered. Arise, anoint your head, and wash your face; go forth to do your duty with willing through chastened steps. Selfishness, of every kind, in its activities or its introspection, is a hurtful thing, and shuts out the help and love of God. Sorrow is apt to be selfish. The soul occupied with its own griefs, and refusing to be comforted, becomes presently a Dead Sea, full of brine and salt, over which birds do not fly, and beside which no green thing grows. And thus we miss the very lesson that God would teach us. His constant war is against the self-life, and every pain He inflicts is to lessen its hold on us. But we may thwart His purpose, and extract poison from His gifts, as men get opium and alcohol from innocent plants.
The Gift of Suffering
by F.B. Meyer -
Perhaps you spend too little time in communion with God through His Word.—It is not necessary to make long prayers, but it is essential to be much alone with God; waiting at His door; hearkening for His voice; lingering in the garden of Scripture for the coming of the Lord God in the dawn or cool of the day. No number of meetings, no fellowship with Christian friends, no amount of Christian activity can compensate for the neglect of the still hour.
When you feel the least inclined for it, there is most need to make for your closet with the shut door. Do for duty’s sake what you cannot do as a pleasure, and you will find it become delightful. You can better thrive without nourishment than become happy or strong in Christian life without fellowship with God.The Gift of Suffering
by F.B. Meyer -
Clinging is a product of a scarcity mindset. It’s a belief that joy is limited, that there’s very little of it to go around, and that you never know when, or if, you’ll get more of it. Savoring, on the other hand, is the manifestation of an abundance mindset. Savoring acknowledges that joy is fleeting, but seeks to capture as much of it as possible, while trusting that joy will come back again.
ARE YOU CLINGING OR SAVORING?
by Ingrid Fetell Lee -
If you are constantly canceling plans with your friends, not following through, neglecting to answer messages for days and weeks on end, ignoring invitations, and not showing up for people at very important moments in their lives — that’s not introversion, that’s isolation.
The Difference Between Being an Introvert and Isolating Yourself
SO GOOD QUOTES 