If you've never had a silent retreat in your life... you need to try it! I'm talking about silence... no talking, turning off the phone, turn off your TV's and computers. Go off alone somewhere, away from brothers/sisters, husband/wife, friends and all family and just be silent. This is what I did a few days ago. For 5 hours (I know not that long, but it was still a good experience) the whole group took a silent retreat. This was such a good experience. You can get so caught up in everyday life, and forget that God wants to spend time with you and talk with you. So many times we say "Oh, but I'm waiting for a phone call, or I have to do this and this and this and this before I go and do that!" When I start doing that sort of thing, I start to think to myself "seriously?! Am I really putting my life before God?" At that point, it's time for a silent retreat.
God wants conversation with us. All He needs is just an hour or two of our time. During my silent retreat, I spent like an hour in prayer, 30 minutes of journaling, and about 2 hours studying my Summit Journal. This was all time with God, and I can honestly say that it was refreshing. I felt renewed and ready to go back into the busy house. I'm really not good at explaining this feeling, but I highly recommend that when you are stressed out or feel like you need a break... just take a silent retreat. If your communication with God at that time didn't go so well, then at least you had that time to yourself to relax and take a few breaths. Personally, I like the outdoors, but hey... a cozy cafe is also very relaxing.
God Bless
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I am glad you experienced this as a time of refreshment and challenge. Thank you for challenging us to also take this time for renewal.
ReplyDeleteI had a few moments this past weekend to this at a women's retreat! I was leading singing but still caught some time almost alone to enjoy a rushing river and cool breeze. Thanks for your encouragement to do this more often!
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