I love that after the celebrations of Christmas in December, we have space in January for reflection and renewal. Many of us are evaluating aspects of our lives and working on creating new habits. It is also the month for retreats. I am participating in five retreats over the course of five weeks and I’m looking forward to these moments to stop and rest. In Mark 6:30-32, Jesus encourages the disciples to go somewhere deserted and rest from all they have been doing. It is an intentional period of Sabbath apart from their daily grind. We put so much on our bodies with our days starting before the sun rises and ending long after the moon has risen. We need to take intentional time away and recover. We need to retreat, to leave our surroundings, and go somewhere deserted. This season can be such a great time to find that deserted place when things are slowing down in this winter period.
It can be kind of hard to stop and rest even when we take time to attend a retreat. I have been working with some great women in planning our women’s retreat “Renew” for February. Our theme is renewing connections with ourselves, God, and each other. There are so many activities that correspond with this theme and I wanted to try to provide as many options as possible in the schedule. And that is when Angie gently reminded me that this is a retreat. Retreats are created for rest, just like Jesus had his disciples do. Doing all the activities does not equal rest.
And so I’m taking that to heart not just for the women’s retreat but for the other retreats I am attending or chaperoning. There needs to be a balance between activities and rest. In that passage, Jesus didn’t send his disciples to go to a deserted place so they could maintain the same grind they were on. He sent them to a deserted place away from everything so that they could rest and recharge. We need that downtime in our lives so that we can come back ready to engage with our world and take back up our responsibilities.
Sometimes we hear that we are like a water pitcher. We can only pour out so much until we run dry. Once we are empty, we need something external in a big way to fill us up again. Instead, we should be more like a reservoir. A reservoir is designed to maintain a certain amount of water in it so that it doesn’t run dry. Why don’t we treat ourselves like a reservoir and protect our water from drying up? Why don’t we take time to rest and recharge from our daily grind or be intentional in choosing activities, saying no to those activities that aren’t replenishing our reservoirs?
The unfortunate truth is that life does not always afford us the opportunity to say no or to run away to a deserted place away from our responsibilities. And yet we find small pockets of grace throughout our days where the Spirit renews us. God greets us in the smile of a loved one and in that bite of a perfectly made sandwich and when our favorite song plays on the radio. Even if you’re not participating in a defined retreat, God is with you. God is with you no matter where you are – in the hustle and bustle and in your rest.
May you find time this season to recuperate. May God bless you in your endeavors to do nothing. May you find spaces in your life to go off to a deserted place away from everything, even if it is the bathroom by yourself. May the Spirit renew you in small and big ways that sustain you each and every day.
Peace be with you,
Laura