The Cave Chronicles… On Becoming a Hermit in 2021

I’m moving towards becoming a hermit. Well sort of… 

The word God gave me for this year is:  CAVE. As in the place where you hole up away from civilization for spiritual purposes.  Like the desert fathers and mother.  Like a hermit. 

Can people even hermit anymore?  Technically, I can’t really run off and leave my family and job, so it took me a few weeks of prayer and listening to see really what the invitation is for me in the word CAVE.

On the surface, I thought it might be about an invitation to stay home. I’m probably the only person in the world longing to be locked down in her own home.  We spent almost 9 months caught in the States last year in other peoples homes, perpetually in limbo, trying to find rhythms with very little control over my life.  

I woke up multiple times not knowing where I was. I walked into walls in the middle of the night looking for the bathroom. In every home, I moved from chair to chair, room to room like Goldilocks looking for a good place to meet with Jesus. I lived in constant anxiety about spilling, staining, or breaking things that were not mine. I’ve never been so happy to get back to my own cave as I was in January.

But ‘caving’ in our homes isn’t really the invitation for most us these days — it’s been forced on us, wanted or not, by the pandemic.  We’ve all had to embrace our caves.

Interestingly, caves play a unique role in the Bible.

Caves brought PROTECTION. Multiple times in Scripture, we see people hiding in caves from their enemy. David hid from Saul. Obadiah hid 100 priests in caves from Jezebel. John the Baptist was most likely raised in a cave by the Essenes.

In some regards, we have been driven to our ‘caves’ as a protective measure in this pandemic, so that we might not catch this virus nor participate in the spreading of the disease to our neighbors. Historically when plagues broke out, isolation has always been the remedy— and despite all our technological advances , it’s no different now.

The children of this generation will be deeply shaped by these years of more time at home with their parents. We like to focus on the losses through covid, but there have been many gains as well. Many people I know have deepened their relationships with their children because they have traveled less, had more meals together, made special memories, and were forced to work through some of their relational issues. Clearly this generation will receive more nurturing and input from their family to prepare them for the call on their lives; might there be a protective element in this somehow?

How might we see this season of ‘caving’ as a season of protection over our lives?

Caves brought REST AND SPACE TO STRATEGIZE FOR BATTLE. David and his men, in particular, called their caves “strongholds.” Their caves in the wilderness were used not just to hide, but to rest, heal, and strategize for their next move. These places were such a place of comfort and refuge to David, that he compared his cave to God when he said, “The LORD is my rock, in whom I take refuge.. my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)

At this critical moment in global change, how might we receive these continued restrictions as a place to rest, regroup, and ask God for new battle plans?

Caves brought SOLITUDE AND SILENCE . Caves are typically found in the desert or the wilderness. They invite us to withdraw from the frenetic pace and activity of the world to make more space to listen.

One part of my ‘caving' has been an invitation to “hermit” from technology — news and social media in particular.  I’m a complete news junkie. I like watching global, regional and cultural trends. And my engagement with social media is more to keep the pulse of what’s happening at the ground level— to understand what is making people tick (or what is ticking them off!).  

But over the last few years, the news and social media have become a negative, persistent static in my life. Daily sorting through the truth and lies and taking the emotional rides of our culture has become, to use a Gen Z word:  toxic. The value added by media has been vastly outweighed by the stress, negativity, and angst added to my life on a daily basis.

So I’m becoming a technological hermit in 2021. No news. No social media… except for passing on my blog or work related notices. 

Cutting down of the voices of the world has been quite extraordinary. We fast from things not to deprive ourselves of whatever that thing is (i.e. food, alcohol, media); we fast in order to create more space for God. Less voices from culture means more of the Voice that matters.

As the voices of our culture have quieted in my life this past month, I have been slowly become present to the voice of God in fresh ways. Before my technological hermiting, any small window of time from waiting in line to trying to fall asleep would be used to read or do tasks on my phone. Now I’m using these blocks to pray, ponder, or “think things out in His presence.” Has God always been speaking this much, but I’ve just been distracted by technology?!

Is this sustainable long term? I have no idea.  I texted my sisters on the presidential inauguration day saying, “If they burn down the White House today, text me. I’m not reading the news.”  I’m guessing for major stuff, someone will let me know.  But am I missing the play by play of the impeachment trial?  Uh…no.

How might God be inviting you to turn down certain voices in your life, to increase your quiet, and to listen for His voice above all else.

Caves brought REVELATION of God’s heart and character. My favorite cave story in the Bible is when Elijah ends up in a cave after the biggest battle of his life. He’s exhausted and frightened (even though he had just won the battle!). God invites him in into the cave in order reveal Himself to Elijah, and to give him new instructions. A windstorm, an earthquake, and a consuming fire come blazing through outside the cave, but God finally calls Elijah to come stand at the mouth of the cave. There He spoke words of comfort and equipping to Elijah in a gentle whisper.

How might God be inviting us to withdraw from the press of life to listen to his gentle whispers?

My first month of “caving” has been powerful already. Yes, I gone through the digital detox. Yes, I am having to retrain my appetites and learning how to be bored again. I’ve even learned how to knit (haha) with some of my extra time.  But I’ve also had increased time to work on several writing projects and I’m not wasting so much energy every day in anger, distress, or despair over the state of the world. And most importantly, my heart and mind are filled with good and life-giving things.

I’ll be posting more “Cave Chronicles” this year about my learnings. Want to join me in “caving” during this lenten season? Or maybe for this year??