Retreat
13 February 2007Last week, I traveled to Antigua, Guatemala where I spent three days in retreat. Though excited to journey south, I wouldn’t be completely honest if I said that leaving the country wasn’t somewhat stressful for me. If you have ever left the country, then you understand all to well the nervousness one feels when leaving our borders.
I don’t speak Spanish. Embarrassingly, I still get confused over the difference between a burrito and enchilada when standing in line at Taco Bell. But I was determined to make the most of my time away from ministry life, family, busy airports, and email.
I awoke my first morning in Guatemala to an absolutely beautiful scenery of volcanoes, water fountains, ceramic tile, the smell of fresh flowers, and…diarrhea. (If you’ve traveled, you know.) My goal of this short get-away, was to take a few days and regroup, refresh, and rekindle my heart for ministry. Sitting a top the roof of my hotel, I drank in the sun and spent a few moments being still. I literally opened my Bible to Psalm 46:10 where the Psalmist wrote: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Don’t you hate it when someone tells you that they just opened their Bible to the exact scripture they needed for that day? Yea, me too.) But this truly did happen for me!
I read that verse over and again throughout my time in Guatemala. And I really began to understand that I don’t do this enough in my life. For those of us in ministry, it can be easy to become busy doing ministry and forget that we too need times to be still, to listen to God, and simply…retreat.
When was the last time you were still?
When was the last time you took time for just you?
When was the last time you took a retreat?
It is important that we as ministers take time to let our guards down, unplug from all the noise, and have a Sabbath. Consider several of the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 - Do not steal. Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not covet. Do not worship any other gods. Remember this one – “…but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.” God commanded that taking a Sabbath- a rest- is just as important as not stealing, killing, committing adultery, and coveting.
Retreat for you can be a time to get away, enjoy good food, enjoy the pleasures of your spouse, and just enjoy being alive! Retreat doesn’t have to happen in another country. Retreat can happen for a weekend, an evening, a day, or an hour. Let me encourage you that your ministry will only be as vibrant as your walk with God. Your walk with God will only be as vibrant as your commitment to spending time with Him being refreshed.
For me, leaving the country was exactly what I needed to get away and find myself. I encourage you to do the same. Oh yea, and if you do, make sure you pack some Imodium AD.
I am married to Amy. I have two daughters, Bailey and Brynnan. Though we rarely have a winning season, I am a Razorback fan. I am a pastor, author, and communicator. I love teens, ice tea, Mac, and I believe any day is a good day when it is spent on my boat.
