Retreat to Reset

I recently took a two-day, solo spiritual sabbatical that refreshed my soul and sparked my creativity. My usual philosophy is that routines are good for me and are supportive and healthy. Over the last couple of weeks, I began to sense that my routine was not contributing to my functioning and was partly responsible for depleting my vitality. Have you ever felt this way? In this post I’ll discuss some symptoms we might experience that alert us that time away is necessary, and I’ll offer ideas of how we can facilitate the emergence of renewal.

Signs You May Need To Schedule Time Away:

Feeling mentally drained

Lack of normal energy

Feeling numb

Feeling stagnate

Feeling like your thoughts are jumbled

Yearning for less noise

Feeling tension in your body

Stress can sneak up on us. We may not be experiencing a crisis but the labor and exertion we use in everyday life can start to whittle away at us. Society proclaims that hard work is a sign of a strong, successful person. The flip side of working hard is that if we fail to balance our work with needed rest, we will suffer.

What Keeps Us From Making Solitude and Silence a Regular Practice:

We are over-scheduled

We have trouble saying “No”

We may consciously or unconsciously believe that being productive is virtuous

We fear what might come up emotionally

We worry that we will be overwhelmed and stuck

We aren’t familiar with the practice

Ruth Haley Barton (2010) says, that “When we pull back the curtain on our fears and resistance, we are left with our desire—pure, naked, quivering desire—which is the surest guide for the spiritual quest. In the end the human soul will choose what it most wants. If we are brave enough to stay with this experience of wanting something we do not yet have, we discover that underneath all other desire is a desire for God, for love, for the true belonging”(p.52).

My personal retreat was to the mountains where I could experience God’s beauty. I was surrounded by a gentle river with ducks, squirrels, geese, and various other birds that called this place home. I immediately felt connected to the Father. I journaled to help organize my thoughts and I prayed for guidance in some areas that had been weighing on me. My time away was a time of worship. Solitude helps us regenerate and it also helps our relationships.

For many of us, it’s counterintuitive to think that solitude can strengthen our relationships. Henri Nouwen says, “Without the solitude of heart, our relationships with others easily become needy and greedy, sticky and clinging, dependent and sentimental, exploitative and parasitic, because without the solitude of heart we cannot experience the others as different from ourselves but only as people who can be used for the fulfillment of our own, often hidden, needs” (p.44).

Jesus is our model for implementing this practice in our daily lives. Scripture records times in the New Testament when he retreated to be with God who is the source of all that is, was, and will ever be. Sometimes my morning devotion, Bible reading, and prayer time is not enough, hence the need for my two-day retreat. When this happens, attuning to ourselves and recognizing signs that we need more time with God is key.

How to Plan For Your Own Retreat

*Be intentional.

*Pick a destination. Take into consideration how far you want to travel and by what means.

*Think about how much money you want to spend on lodging, food, etc.

*Identify your needs and what you hope to gain from your time away.

*Pray and ask others to pray for you.

*Pack needed items (Bible, journal, pens, additional books, etc.)

*Embrace the journey.

If you are in a season of life where you are unable to journey away for a day or more, I encourage you to think about places where you can go for an hour or so. This can be anywhere you experience communion with God and be free of distractions. These moments are sacred ones that reorient us Godward.

Until Next Time,

Amy

Amycofercounseling.squarespace.com

865-670-0988

Barton, R. H. (2010). Invitation to solitude and silence: Experiencing God’s transforming presence. InterVarsity Press.

Nouwen, H. J. M. (1975). Reaching out: The three movements of the spiritual life. Doubleday.