Resting

Three Benefits of Spiritual Retreats

Faith, Knowing God / By / July 29, 2021 / , , , ,

Come apart before you come apart.

A battle rages around us. We forget at times because we don’t hear the explosion of munitions. Yet, the Bible tells us to put on armor, fight a good fight. Paul reminds us that we wrestle not with flesh and blood—but with evil forces of wickedness. This war exhausts even the most skilled soldiers. We all need r and r. We need to heed the voice of our Commander and retreat at times.

  • Retreating refreshes us. When we check out of our daily routine, the freedom from those demands allows us breathing room. We gain an opportunity to relax, rest, and feed our souls. Most Christian retreats offer speakers who share the Word of God intending to encourage those in attendance. A retreat provides busy moms time and space to process what she’s heard. On most Sundays, those young mamas either train children to be quiet or rush to relieve the nursery staff from caring for their child and then dash home to feed their hungry brood. Young moms aren’t the only ones who benefit from this opportunity. Let’s be honest how often do we take time to consider what our Pastor preaches? I fear many believers rush through daily Bible reading and never let the message sink in. Intentionally coming apart for Spiritual formation allows all of us the time to process truth.

Another invigorating factor for women with families is coming home to a husband and children who appreciate you more. One of my favorite memories occurred after returning from a women’s retreat. “My husband must have seen me pull up in the drive because he stepped out to greet me. With an exhausted look on his face, he said, “I tried to get the kids to pick up. It’s like nailing jello to the wall!”

“Thanks, Honey. I appreciate the effort. Welcome to my world.” I replied with a contented smile.

  • Retreating connects us. Even if you take a personal retreat or a silent prayer retreat, retreats build relationships. God created us for—and calls us into community. He also calls us to a relationship with Him—and His people. A group retreat accommodates the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships and meet people we may not get to meet otherwise.

One of my most special mentors I only knew because of an annual retreat. That was also the only time I could spend time with her. God used her to teach me the power of praying Scripture, along with several other lessons I’ll never forget. Fellowship, laughter, tears, praying[tg1] , and sharing with others—retreating makes these possible in a way that a Sunday service cannot.

  • Retreating helps us refocus. One main reason armies retreat is to minimize losses by creating a better strategy. Retreats supply vital reflection time. What am I not doing well? How can I do better? Critical decisions that shaped my life and ministry resulted from attending different retreats through the years.

Rallying the troops also happens in retreats. We don’t fight Spiritual battles alone, and we may be hurting. Retreating provides a safer environment for tending the wounded. It rallies us together to be mindful of the needs present.

Many churches offer both men’s and women’s retreats. Some denominations and fellowships of churches provide various types of retreats, including Christian worker’s retreats. Several family ministries host couple’s retreats to help couples strengthen their marriages.

I attend both a women’s retreat and a Christian workers’ retreat on an annual basis. I also take personal retreats throughout the year as I sense my need to refresh, connect (with God), and refocus. If your church and denomination don’t offer retreats, I bet another local church near you does.
And He (Jesus) said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark 6:31

Don’t suffer from battle fatigue, Sister. Retreat!

 [tg1]

When Aspiration Leads to Exasperation

Faith / By / July 29, 2021 / , , , ,

What am I doing wrong?!

Confusion, uncertainty, and discouragement plagued my heart as I started my morning. Where is that verse about God being faithful to complete what He calls us to do? I wondered as I opened my Bible. I looked it up, 1Thessalonians 5:24. Desiring to understand better God’s call on my life, I read the whole book of 1 Thessalonians. I discovered the source of my distress resulted from my aspirations.

For the past several years, I’ve aspired to write for publication. My first book is 90ish% complete. I hired a professional editor to work her magic. Now I need to go through the manuscript one last time. Then the work of actual publication begins. I must decide where to publish, acquire ISBNs and copyright, and learn different formatting options—and do all these things well, so I place a professional quality book in the hands of my readers. I want to love them—so many new tricks to learn. Praise God I’m not an old dog!

Astonishment hit me as I read the following passage, “But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more (in love); that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12.

A quiet life? That’s what the Lord wants? Yes. Unfortunately, a writer’s life isn’t as silent as you may think. While writers spend many hours at a keyboard, they also need to market their work. The vocation requires promotion, speaking, and internet presence—all noisy endeavors. Imagine the sound of wooden planks sawn to the correct size. Hammers pounding nail heads to secure the boards in place. Platform building is noisy. These tasks beleaguer most writers.

I needed to process what I just read in my Bible. So—aspiring “to lead a quiet life”—I retreated to the dirt from whence I came. Nothing beats the humble aspiration of weeding and caring for plants. After all, the first good work God assigned to the first man, Adam, was gardening. I find dirt therapy helps my heart. And God values that work as much as the hours I spend pounding keys.  So, I tended to my badly damaged azaleas.

A warm week in February stimulated sap flow in my sad-looking bushes. Then a brutal cold snap in March almost killed them. I prayed that the bad weather failed to steal my investment of dollars and sweat. Thankfully God, who is rich in mercy, brought new life from the roots beneath the surface.

My writing goals look a lot like those stunted azaleas. Rough drafts like deadwood branches exceed the flourishing of quality work. “You must write more. You must write better. You must get that website launched. You must find your readers and publish your books,” shouts the voice in my head, my voice, not God’s. The Holy Spirit directed my attention to the new growth on these battered plants.

The roots live. Growth comes from the unseen life below the surface. God’s still small voice whispers peace to those who hear it. I heard it there in my flower bed.

If God wants me to write (and I believe He does), He wants me to do it with a quiet spirit. And not to neglect the other work He appointed to me (supporting my husband and keeping our home). God desires me to work diligently with my hands and depend on the hidden life, my relationship with Him.

Since the Lord set the good work of writing before me, I trust He’s appointed readers for the words I write. My pursuit should not be clamoring for their attention by pounding a platform together. Instead, I should quietly seek to love them well with the words I write and let the Lord direct the silent building of His temple. We are His temple.

In the book of 1 Kings, all the stones used to build the temple in Jerusalem were cut to size in the quarry so that the temple site would be silent with reverence. God erects His temple—His church—today in the same fashion—silently. A battle rages in hearts. Satan strives to keep us in darkness. Yet, light prevails. God saves souls. He grants pardon and peace to former prisoners—to you and me.

Sitting in the mulch, I chose to “let the peace of God rule in my heart” (Galatians 3:15). Just like I trust my little azalea bushes will bloom, I believe through His quiet direction my words will be beautiful and life-giving—in His time—not mine. The Lord makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

To what do you aspire today? If you feel rattled or restless, maybe it’s because you’re aspiring to something less than a quiet life of love.

Waiting . . . 3 Sustaining Practices for the In-Between Times

Faith, Trials / By / July 29, 2021 / , , ,

Oh Lord, how long?

We struggle with anticipation: enduring school because we want a diploma, longing to get married, staying in a lousy job until a better one comes, expecting a career to take off, anticipating children and grandchildren. These times test our patience and perseverance.

What do you long for God to do? I bet you’ve grown weary with masks and staying at home. Amid my wait for the coronavirus to go away, I did a little history research on the Spanish Flu of 1918. I felt like I was reading today’s headlines; a hundred years ago, the arguments over masks or no masks raged. Here’s the encouragement from history: the pandemic ended. All trials do, but that doesn’t make testing easier. I once believed waiting never gets easy—that it’s the most challenging part of the Christian life—until I discovered three principles that encourage me to abide well.

  • Rest 

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.”

Psalm 37:7-8 esv

 The Lord encourages us not only to anticipate Him but to rest in Him. Even when we see no evidence that God is at work—He is. When we see others enjoying whatever we’re longing for, we get frustrated, even envious. This natural, albeit sinful, tendency hurts us.  God wants us to experience peace—not anxiety. God gives good things to His children at the perfect time. If we don’t have it yet, it’s because God knows we aren’t ready. Until we believe God is enough, nothing else will satisfy us.

  • Renew

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31esv

How often do we exhaust ourselves striving for what we desire? Sometimes we even let lesser things satisfy our longing—like the Christian woman who longs for a husband, compromises, and marries an unbeliever. Eagles aren’t hummingbirds; they do not flurry in haste to hover over simple sugar. Their strength depends on the protein of the meat. Eagles hunt from high in the sky. They must soar; to do that, Eagles seek a power greater than their own—the wind. Eagles let the greater power of air currents carry them higher than they could rise on their strength.

We need to renew our minds to the reality that we have limits. We must learn to rely on the Holy Spirit to be the wind beneath our wings. We need humility to embrace our limitations and trust God’s unlimited power to accomplish His will. Often our willingness to compromise leads us into sin. We forfeit the abundance God intends for us to enjoy later. God calls us to good works. He devises lofty dreams and fills hearts with good desires. He calls us to tasks we cannot do on our own, not for our glory, but because He is glorious. In our waiting, let’s renew our strength. Don’t settle for satan’s sweet lies. Feed on Biblical meat. Keep His word. Renew your resolve to mount up and search for God’s best.

  • Watch

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: . . .He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 esv

Ticking clocks remind us of deadlines that seem impossible; we fret about the lack of progress. Struggling to unlock the front door robs us of seeing God sliding the patio door open behind us. We want our way more than we want God’s direction. Driven by the desire to make something happen, we miss God’s provision and make a mess of things. However, if we faithfully watch for His hand and follow His plan, things unfold with eternal beauty.

According to Scripture, God, who created time, calls us to look beyond our days and remember the bigger picture; His timing is perfect. He remains outside of time unaltered by its passing. In the wait, get your eyes off the clock and watch the eternal present. What good can I do today to prepare for the Day—the Day of His coming? The practice of being present keeps our eyes off the whens and what-ifs of life. Watching what God does today equips us to walk with Him tomorrow. If we remember He’s coming again, then He will find us watching and abiding when the ultimate expectation arrives.  

“Behold, I am coming soon,

bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”

Revelation 22:12 esv

Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come!