July Devotional – The Bliss of Solitude
1 July 2006
Daffodils – by William Wordsworth
…In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.
Well, here I am in the gardens of Wordsworth’s House Rydal Mount – it doesn’t get much better than this!! I love the gardens here which Wordsworth designed himself, set high on the hillside with spectacular views of Lake Windermere. Numerous benches punctuate the gardens – a reminder to stop and savour the beauty of this spectacular landscape.
I’m sitting in the Summer House as I write this, perched high upon the hillside, where a plaque tells me that it was here that Wordsworth would sit and compose his verse. He would also pass through the Summer House reciting his verse aloud while pacing to and fro. What a wonderful picture this conjures up.
In his most famous poem Daffodils Wordsworth talks about ‘the bliss of solitude’. I know what he means from a writer’s perspective – solitude is essential to the creative process. But we all need solitude in our lives so that our busy schedules don’t dictate the pace of life. We need time alone in order to re-charge our batteries and to get in touch with ourselves and God. As the Psalmist reminds us ‘Be still and know that I am God’ – stillness increases our awareness of God and our appreciation of everything else.
Prayer:
Lord, help me to learn to be still for a while – to enjoy my own company, so that I might know that you are the Lord of my life and my future.
