Big Takeaway: Our willingness to disengage helps us reengage refreshed.
We finally got hit.
The good ole’ coronavirus hit my husband last week, and it was not pretty! Thankfully, he’s doing well now, and nobody else in our family has gotten sick. In some ways, the virus felt like an unexpected visit from a family member who couldn’t take a hint that it was time to leave three days ago.
The words, “It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine.” ran through my mind way too many times, but we made it!
You may be wondering what this has to do with faith. Well, I’ll share what I learned.
By the end of our quarantine, Kyle was down in the dumps. He still wasn’t feeling 100% and candidly, we had a rough week overall. If you’ve had the virus and had symptoms, I’m sure you understand this feeling.
I decided our family needed a change of scenery. I found a lake house about an hour away and spontaneously decided to book it for two nights. When we arrived at the lake house, it felt like our family let out a collective exhale. Even Luke, our almost one-year-old, started laughing and clapping and was visibly excited to be in a new space.
After three days of enjoying a mountain view, playing games, making our own pizzas, sitting by a bright orange fire, and enjoying the little moments in life we often breeze by, we felt grateful, refreshed, and ready to jump back into our normal routine.
Our getaway reminded me of the many retreats and mini-retreats Jesus took throughout his ministry.
He retreated to pray through grief (Matthew 14:1-13), before making big decisions like choosing his apostles (Luke:6-12-13), and to simply spend time with his Father (Luke 5:16).
Although Jesus spent time in solitude when he retreated, and I believe this is essential to spiritual growth, I don’t think all retreats have to be spent alone.
Jesus changed his scenery when He wanted to intentionally focus on God. His retreat served as a refresh.
The same can be true for you and me. Retreats don’t have to be elaborate vacations. They can be as simple as rolling down your window on a warm day while you drive a new route home, meeting a close friend for lunch at a new spot, or going for a family walk in a park you’ve never been to.
Our willingness to disengage helps us reengage refreshed!
Reflect: How can you give yourself the gift of a retreat this week? What is something you can do to refresh your faith?