Overwhelmed by bad news on the economy? Anxious if you can’t find your cell phone? Can a rude driver in the next lane or a slow clerk at the grocery store cause a reaction in you that seems out of balance? You may be doing a respectable job juggling your calendar and multiple priorities at work, even your family and the dog may feel your devotion; but chances are you’ve neglected to make time and space for something very important: a personal retreat.
In modern language, “retreat” is often used to describe a quiet weekend at the beach or a tiny cabin tucked in the mountains; but the word originated as a military term – one that has nothing to do with throwing in the towel or admitting defeat. An army’s “retreat” is often the best strategy to rebuild strength, regain momentum and ultimately taste victory. That’s a lot to accomplish from what can look like a cowardly act of running away.
“Retreat in its truest sense means stop, evaluate, sharpen your saw if necessary,” says ad agency account executive Ruth Bean, a professed spiritual retreat junkie. “It means go away, think, reflect and then come back another day, better prepared to face this challenge.” Bean should know. She’s been on six spiritual retreats in the past two years, some for only a day, some for a weekend, and some for a week. “My family recognizes how much this benefits all of us,” says Bean. “I’m better equipped to deal with the constant stress of our active lifestyle when I make time to withdraw.”
Anxiety often intensifies from our unwillingness to participate in the act of retreat. “We can’t or won’t tune out the noise around us long enough to recognize our own symptoms,” says Rev. Lucy Turner, a pastor at Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. “When things go wrong, too often we run faster, try harder, add layers to a life already filled with distractions. The antidote is simply to get away – not for some organized vacation, which can actually add stress, but to a simple lifestyle that has deliberate times for silence.”
In a world experiencing stress from failing economies, retreats are being rediscovered as an important spiritual discipline, part of the process of discerning God’s will and finding peace in the midst of uncertainty. Retired banker Alan Head says the effort made to withdraw pays big dividends. “The times when you feel you absolutely can’t get away, that you have too many important projects that need your oversight, that’s exactly when you need a retreat the most.” With six friends from his protestant church, Head ventured to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia, where he ate meals in silence, spent time in Bible study with Trappist monks, and attended mass, including 4 a.m. vigils. “I discovered a beautiful rhythm to life at this monastery, the way the monks stop for prayer every few hours. It’s a healing experience.”
For a scriptural basis, you only have to look as far as the Gospels and Christ’s own example of retreat to the wilderness, where, at the very onset of his ministry, he found strength to withstand the fiercest temptations.
Throughout history, spiritual writers have extolled the virtues of solitude and silence. Twentieth century Catholic Priest and writer Henri Nouwen highlights the contrasts necessary to enjoy an abundant life: “Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening, speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.”
If you absolutely cannot make room for a trip (and you absolutely should), at least make time in your day for devotions. In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther wrote, “Whenever I happen to be prevented by the press of duties from observing my hour of prayer, the entire day is bad for me.” Four hundred years later, Norman Vincent Peale wrote this: "Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles, but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.”
The benefits of retreat are many, including a more productive, inspiring life. Carl Sandburg believed it was essential to his work. “One of the greatest necessities in America," he said, "is to discover creative solitude.”
In modern language, “retreat” is often used to describe a quiet weekend at the beach or a tiny cabin tucked in the mountains; but the word originated as a military term – one that has nothing to do with throwing in the towel or admitting defeat. An army’s “retreat” is often the best strategy to rebuild strength, regain momentum and ultimately taste victory. That’s a lot to accomplish from what can look like a cowardly act of running away.
“Retreat in its truest sense means stop, evaluate, sharpen your saw if necessary,” says ad agency account executive Ruth Bean, a professed spiritual retreat junkie. “It means go away, think, reflect and then come back another day, better prepared to face this challenge.” Bean should know. She’s been on six spiritual retreats in the past two years, some for only a day, some for a weekend, and some for a week. “My family recognizes how much this benefits all of us,” says Bean. “I’m better equipped to deal with the constant stress of our active lifestyle when I make time to withdraw.”
Anxiety often intensifies from our unwillingness to participate in the act of retreat. “We can’t or won’t tune out the noise around us long enough to recognize our own symptoms,” says Rev. Lucy Turner, a pastor at Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. “When things go wrong, too often we run faster, try harder, add layers to a life already filled with distractions. The antidote is simply to get away – not for some organized vacation, which can actually add stress, but to a simple lifestyle that has deliberate times for silence.”
In a world experiencing stress from failing economies, retreats are being rediscovered as an important spiritual discipline, part of the process of discerning God’s will and finding peace in the midst of uncertainty. Retired banker Alan Head says the effort made to withdraw pays big dividends. “The times when you feel you absolutely can’t get away, that you have too many important projects that need your oversight, that’s exactly when you need a retreat the most.” With six friends from his protestant church, Head ventured to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia, where he ate meals in silence, spent time in Bible study with Trappist monks, and attended mass, including 4 a.m. vigils. “I discovered a beautiful rhythm to life at this monastery, the way the monks stop for prayer every few hours. It’s a healing experience.”
For a scriptural basis, you only have to look as far as the Gospels and Christ’s own example of retreat to the wilderness, where, at the very onset of his ministry, he found strength to withstand the fiercest temptations.
Throughout history, spiritual writers have extolled the virtues of solitude and silence. Twentieth century Catholic Priest and writer Henri Nouwen highlights the contrasts necessary to enjoy an abundant life: “Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening, speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.”
If you absolutely cannot make room for a trip (and you absolutely should), at least make time in your day for devotions. In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther wrote, “Whenever I happen to be prevented by the press of duties from observing my hour of prayer, the entire day is bad for me.” Four hundred years later, Norman Vincent Peale wrote this: "Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles, but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.”
The benefits of retreat are many, including a more productive, inspiring life. Carl Sandburg believed it was essential to his work. “One of the greatest necessities in America," he said, "is to discover creative solitude.”
“When from our better selves we have too long
Been parted by the hurrying world and droop,
Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired,
How gracious, how benign is Solitude.”
William Wordsworth
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