I am returning from 3 days of no blogging due to being on a retreat.
According to dictionary.com a retreat is...
re·treat
1.the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action.2.the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.
3. a place of refuge, seclusion, or privacy: The library was his retreat.
4. an asylum, as for the insane.
5. a retirement or a period of retirement for religious exercises and meditation.
You probably guessed that I would normally define a church staff retreat with the 5th option but I am struck by how true the other definitions are as well.
1. When we cease normal activities and focus on who God is and what he has done, we are in fact preparing for "battle." Battle against the daily messages we are given in a world that insists that we don't need God or that we are our own god.
2. We all need to withdraw. We are told to be still and know that God is God. I find this much easier to do when I am more secluded.
3. I think of a retreat as sometimes being a refuge from some of the storms of life. Of course the storms still exist but when you are in a refuge, you can look at the storms more objectively.
4. Um. We can all be a little crazy at times can't we? No more to say on that one.
I think we as women often don't feel value unless we are producing something tangible. Retreating reminds us of our humanness, our limitedness and our need for God and other people.
What does retreating look like for you? What could you withdraw from, even for a day, that would remind you of your need for God? How are you gaining objective perspective on your life? What hinders you from retreating?
You probably guessed that I would normally define a church staff retreat with the 5th option but I am struck by how true the other definitions are as well.
1. When we cease normal activities and focus on who God is and what he has done, we are in fact preparing for "battle." Battle against the daily messages we are given in a world that insists that we don't need God or that we are our own god.
2. We all need to withdraw. We are told to be still and know that God is God. I find this much easier to do when I am more secluded.
3. I think of a retreat as sometimes being a refuge from some of the storms of life. Of course the storms still exist but when you are in a refuge, you can look at the storms more objectively.
4. Um. We can all be a little crazy at times can't we? No more to say on that one.
I think we as women often don't feel value unless we are producing something tangible. Retreating reminds us of our humanness, our limitedness and our need for God and other people.
What does retreating look like for you? What could you withdraw from, even for a day, that would remind you of your need for God? How are you gaining objective perspective on your life? What hinders you from retreating?
No comments:
Post a Comment