Retreat
“One foot after another. One foot after another. Just keep walking. You can do it. Are you Kidding I feel like my lungs are going to explode. They won’t explode; it’s all in your head. Just keep going. One foot after another.”
This was one of the frequent internal dialogue’s going on in my head as I dragged my pastorized body up the side of a mountain in Colorado in search of Elk. I love Elk Hunting in Colorado, but every step, every action is met with resistance, whether it’s the thin air, extreme altitude, not a square foot of even ground, inadequate physical tools, sun burn prone skin, heavy packs, sleeping on the ground. Yet there I am again, huffing and puffing up the side of the mountain, encouraging myself and wanting to quit a large part of the time.
Sounds fun huh? What keeps me wanting to go back? It’s not the Elk. Most of the time out there wondering if Elk even exist. No it’s the moments. The moments where I drop my pack, feel the sun on my face, lean up against a Rock to nap, journal, pray. It’s the moments of reflection on what is really important in life, void of the distractions of the same old burdens, toil and struggles. It’s the moments where time praying to a loving Father brings healing. It’s the laughter around the campfire. It’s the deep talks that would never happen at home with friends and family. It’s the satisfaction of the work, the labor, the soreness, the struggle and the moments in their midst where it seems to fade away and my long lost friend, “Perspective” returns.
I have to drive half way across the country, drive an hour and a half up in to the mountains, ATV eleven miles up some of the roughest stretch of road you have ever seen, hike up a mountain for 2 miles to a place where we see as many Mountain Lions as people, to remind myself the importance of a retreat.
Retreat is nothing new. We can’t even read past the 1st Chapter of Mark without Jesus retreating to a solitary place away from the preaching, teaching and healing to pray. This is something he does often, and the Lord calls us to stop take a breath and rest.
Every step of life is met with resistance. While life is full of countless blessings, no one would say that it’s easy. Life is hard. But it’s in the moments of retreat., the moments of pause, setting time aside to laugh, cry, sleep, pray that the Lord renews us and gives us perspective.
I have never been more exhausted then I am after a week in the mountains of Colorado, but at the same time I am renewed in Spirit and Mind. I thank God continually for the time to retreat, to breathe, to gain perspective as we drive home across Nebraska.
St. John’s offers opportunities to retreat for this very reason. This last weekend, 85 Men’s took time to retreat. They took time to learn, to grow, to laugh, to cry, to study, to sit in silence, to eat and fellowship and to gain perspective. Last winter 37 couples did the same thing, retreating together as husband and wife, to seek renewal. In October, the women of our congregation will have an opportunity to do the same thing. You don’t have to go to one of St. John’s retreats to retreat, but I would encourage you to consider them. Let us do the planning and hard work for you. Just come and experience the blessings of retreat.
