What a reTREAT!

What an AWESOME, AWESOME experience!  This was my first ever women's retreat, and I am so very glad that I went!  I can't even begin to describe the blessings that seemed to just pour out, for many, in the less than 24 hours we were together!  How amazing God is!

Eat, Pray, Love.  The lessons we learned about each of those topics were just great!  Our speaker, Stephanie Edge, talked about what each of them meant to our spiritual walk with Christ, and how to fulfill them with His word!  

Just like we eat food to stay alive, we need to be in God's word to be alive.  Though, many fail to truly study the Bible.  I am personally guilty of this, as I had many excuses not to be studying it.  I don't have enough time, I don't know how, and I can't make it interesting were my excuses... and there are others that are regularly used.  

However, learning the reasons we should study the Bible makes it even more important for me to truly begin and to take it seriously.  Technically I am still a new Christian.  I am still just learning and growing.  But, I want to have spiritual maturity and effectiveness someday too.  Plus, as our speaker said, it is also important to be in the word for spiritual warfare, because as Christians, that is a real fight that we are going to face.  Plus, the ultimate goal to feed others.  I can't do that if I do not know what food to offer them!

Prayer, our conversations with God.  This is still new to me as well.  I am learning how to pray, and learning how to effectively communicate with my Lord and Savior.  Part of the message was that prayer transforms our lives.  And I am quite a testimony to that truth.  Since I started becoming more purposeful in my prayer, and focusing on what blessings I already have and what I can do to bless others, I have found a complete change in my attitude and desires.  I do still struggle with being materialistic, but it's shifting, and that is something amazing!  

Lately I have found myself praying in the shower.  It really is one of the few times I am truly alone and able to have that quite time to focus on God.  I am completely vulnerable and feel that in that vulnerability is when I have the most honest intentions in my prayers.  One thing I have noticed is that I don't tend to pray for things for myself, I thank Him and ask that He use me to bless others.  I also tend to pray for people, especially those who have hurt me in some way.  And I have found some great freedom in that.

Love.  The one area that we all know how to do but often hold back from doing.  There are many reasons why people find it hard to show love, though the main one for me is not feeling appreciated.  I struggle with this more than anything.  I honestly love to love people.  I try to pour my love out to others.  But when I do not feel it is appreciated, or wanted, I tend to withdraw and stop showing any love to anyone.  But after this retreat and really discussing this topic, I want to find more ways to pour my love out to others, and not just to people I know, because God would!

One thing we were asked to do was to make a commitment to something new.  I have made the commitment to attend a women's Bible study at church that I signed up for a while ago and have never gone.  I really have had zero good reasons not to go, only excuses.  No more excuses, I WILL be attending!  The other is begin affirmation jars for Darien and Adrien.  They are growing up and need to be told how amazing they are, and we tend to get caught up and not remind them enough.  With affirmation jars, they can always be reminded of how amazing they are and by our words that are permanently written!  

This weekend was really just amazing!  Even the sermon at church was amazing!  God definitely reached out this weekend and has touched my soul in a great way!