My first experience with a “retreat” was as a child. And for
me, it wasn’t so wonderful, and certainly not restful. It was some sort of Christian
boy’s camp held at a ranch. It was called Green Acres or Green Oaks or something like that. I was put on a bus with a bunch of kids I didn’t
know and told to sit down and be quiet “or else” by the guy in charge. Nice.
The highlights of that long weekend that I can remember were
the ability to buy candy at the camp store if your parents had thought to give
you some pocket money, and riding a mule that stopped every few feet to relieve
itself.
My idea of a retreat today is somewhat different than my
early experience.
There are many kinds of retreats – personal development retreats,
educational retreats, spiritual retreats, and just-leave-me-alone-so-I-won’t-go-nuts
retreats. Some professions (like raising children) are probably most subject to
the last one. I think I’ll call it an emergency retreat. It becomes necessary
when the stressors of life overwhelm us. Although I have heard that you can “have a retreat in your own home”, somehow I think the vast majority of us can’t detach enough in our own environments in order to accomplish that. There are simply too many things calling out for attention.
God’s plan for us is to have times of rest. If you are a motivated
leader in any capacity, rest may feel like a low priority and an unneeded
interruption in a busy life. But those who do not build rest into their lives
may find unscheduled “retreats” in the form of doctor or hospital visits. Pastors,
counselors, business leaders and medical professionals often fall into this
category. But it is not just leaders that need to detach. Employees who work in
high stress environments are subject to burnout and overload as well. Taking a couple of mental health days is better than a week
of sick days.
Most people will have to have a planned retreat built into
their lives. So often a vacation is not a restful retreat, especially if it
involves children. A retreat should be free from daily responsibilities, and
where kids are involved that is simply not possible. Also, many people make
vacations heavy on activities – and that’s not the purpose of a retreat.
On retreats I want to have space to think, to dream, and to
recreate without pressure to perform. I also want to be able to spend time with
positive sensory input, in other words, just feeling stuff. I like long
stretches of uninterrupted “being”, and not doing. I often wrestle with a
feeling of anxiety for not accomplishing anything concrete. But then I remind
myself that that is precisely the point. I am dealing with the intangibles of
life that nourish the soul, like spending time with just me and God. All good retreats
offered by churches and other organizations include a heavy dose of this
separate time, away from the planned events and connect time.
Recently I posted a question on Facebook asking where you
would most like to spend time in retreat: desert, mountain or beach. I would
like to ask it here as well. Use the comment box below to describe your
favorite formal or informal retreat setting.
