You might know it better as “football season” or “vest weather” or the delicious “pumpkin-flavored everything” season, but for me, it’s “retreat season.” It’s that time of year when the air is crisp and the ground is crunchy. It’s perfect for wandering through the woods and watching embers burn and getting cozy on the couch. It’s perfect for retreating from the grind of ordinary life and reconnecting with what you’ve been neglecting. Ever since I was a teenager, I have needed retreat season. Maybe some of you remember the church camp up in Saugatuck? I used to go there, too. We’d get up early to watch the sunrise and stay up late playing capture the flag on the cool sand. We’d learn about Jesus and practice trusting Him.
I believe there are things we can learn on retreats we can’t learn at home. I love watching our students let their guard down and realize they are loved just as they are. I love watching adults step away from their responsibilities for a weekend and reconnect with a part of themselves they haven’t seen in a while.
This is the first time in a while that I haven’t spent the Fall organizing, leading, or participating in retreats. And while there’s a lot about that makes me sad, I know I still need to find a way to retreat in 2020 in order to continue to be the wife, mother, pastor, and friend I want to be. My spiritual life needs the renewal of retreat season even though it can’t happen the same in 2020. So, here are some ways I’m thinking about carving out space to reconnect with God, myself, and my community.
Retreat Practices:
- Put the phone away – stay off social media and unplug from the news cycle.
- Get outside – go for a walk in the woods. Breathe deep. Repeat as needed.
- Be vulnerable – call the people you know you can be real with. Ask the hard questions. Listen fully.
Every retreat I’ve been on has included these practices and God shows up every time. If you don’t know how to start one of these practices, PRPC can help. Consider joining the CROP Walk Team. Parents can sign up for R&R session in the Sanctuary while kids hang with Pastor Amanda.
Don’t let this retreat season come and go without taking advantage of all the ways God wants to encounter you in this moment.
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