Retreat at Tybee Island

RETREAT

 

According to Wikipedia, a retreat can have several meanings.

 

Retreat can be a spiritual term for taking time out or away to reflect or meditate.

 

In the military, retreat is the withdrawal of forces.

 

In survival, to retreat may be finding a place of refuge.

 

The bugle call signals the end of the day or retreat.

 

This weekend was our LIFT (Ladies in Fellowship Together)

getaway retreat.

 

I honestly, didn't feel up to.

I had backed completely out in my mind.

My mind was on "retreat" anyway and the place I least wanted to be was with

a bunch of giggling gals.

 

I wanted my own retreat, to withdraw yes!

From everything and everyone!

 

In 2000, I was going though one of the most difficult times in my life-

my baby girl went away to college.

 I experienced some significant losses of friendships.

I took a break from the church that was home.

I was hurting.

 

My mom gave me a scripture that became my life verse,

"Hide yourself for a little while until the storm has passed."

 

Well, somewhere along the way, I developed a hiding place within myself.

This hiding place became a place that I ran to

to hide from the world.

 

Anytime things became uncomfortable OR UNBEARABLE, I ran to hide.

 

I don't think that's what mama had in mind.

 

Someone said this weekend,

"Sometimes the place we want to be the least, is the place we need to be the most."

 

I spent a long time this weekend thinking about this.

The place I least wanted to be was with a bunch of silly women,

and yet it's what God knew I needed most.

 

 

Oh, how I needed to find myself in this place of quiet reflection.

 

 

And oh how I needed a place to shed the facade, be real, and yes

giggle with a bunch of silly gooses!

 

(Oh yeah, we got up at dawn to go junkin'! I didn't even know anyone else liked to junk!

Can't wait to share my finds)

 

 

Oh, how I needed to find a place of refuge.

To find love and acceptance among new friends...

 

 

and treasured old friends, sisters because of blood

 

 

and sisters because of faith.

 

So, the definition of Retreat for me this weekend was all of the above...

 

time taken to reflect,

 

withdrawal from the forces (the enemy) that try to take my life and steal my joy,

 

a place of refuge.

 

Thank you, God, that you didn't intend for me to hide away forever.