This week I’m sharing the third and last of three reasons why I retreat and why I think you should too! They’re focus, food, and friendship. You can read part one about focus here and part two on food here.

Be Still: A Guided Retreat is just four weeks away on September 19/20-22! We’d love to have you and your friends join us and are offering a $20 discount thru this Sunday, 8/25. Just use the code FRIENDS when you register.

But don’t wait, we only have FOUR rooms left . . . go here for all the information and to register!

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Friendship

It was well past midnight. The conversation was winding down, not because we had run out of things to talk about, but because we couldn’t keep our eyes open. Long pauses filled the space between our words, as I recalled teenage slumber parties and the familiar reluctant surrender to sleep.

But we weren’t teenagers. No, we were two twenty-something moms away from toddlers, diapers, and full to the brim days of ceaseless activity. Now we were on retreat and wanted to soak up every last opportunity to connect as friends. We could sleep later.

Friendship. It’s one of my favorite parts of retreats.

The opportunity to share life uninterrupted by its normal demands.

To sit long in a rocker and sip coffee while it’s still hot.

To walk quiet paths and venture beyond the surface of life’s events and to its deeper discoveries, joys, and sorrows.

To be together with fellow sojourners and talk as long and as late as we can keep our eyes open . . . or not.

For all our modern connectedness, nothing will ever come close to face-to-face friendship, and retreats offer us an unprecedented opportunity to connect deeply with our friends.

There’s another friend we get to know better on retreats. There’s nothing like spending extended time with the friend and lover of our souls, Jesus. Our relationship with Him is just that–a relationship. It thrives when it’s fed and suffers when we’re too busy to be still, open our hearts and minds, and listen.

My husband and I just returned from a five-day getaway. There wasn’t anything extravagant about it other than the hours upon hours together. The focused time reminded us of how precious our relationship is and the joy that it brings. Now that we’re home and back to the day-to-day demands, the memories of last week inspire me to be more intentional to care for and enjoy our friendship in the moments even as I look for opportunities to slow down and be together.

These tangible reminders of the necessity, gift, and goodness of friendship are why I retreat . . . and why you should to.

 

Your turn . . .

• How are your friendships: strong, okay, weak? Satisfying or lacking?
• How is your friendship with Jesus: strong, okay, weak? Satisfying or lacking?
• What makes a good friend? Does this describe you?
• What can you do today to strengthen and enjoy your friendships?

Is there a friend you’d love to stay up late, take a long walk, or laugh till it hurts with? Bring her with you to Be Still: A Guided Retreat! Register with the code FRIENDS by this Friday, 8/23 and get a $20 discount. Go here for details!

 

 

 

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