Take What You Need

The theme of the women's retreat this year was Take What You Need.  Rest, Hope, Peace, Love, Faith, Strength, and so forth.  One of the challenges was "what do you need?" or "What do you think you need, but Jesus is telling you that you need something else?".

I stepped out of my comfort zone in attending the retreat. I also put walls up so I would just have a good time and not be emotional. "I'm good, I don't really need anything. Just time with friends & away from my chaotic life at home". One of the things I love about our Heavenly Father is that He meets you right where you are, no matter how determined you are to not be affected.  We had three great speakers and a wonderful worship leader.  Each speech left me convicted and determined, each song touched my heart.  By the end of the retreat, God met me & broke down my walls so I could truly receive what He wanted to teach me.

Amie did a great job of summing up the speeches we heard over the weekend on her blog.

Lindsay (Willmer) gave some great illustrations that were super helpful because I am a visual learner. It's easy for me to tune someone out accidentally and start thinking about something totally unrelated like something interesting someone else said earlier that day. It really helps me focus when speakers have pictures and props. 

Lindsay's theme was "let go and let God." She brought a bunch of stones and written on the stones were things that steal our focus from Jesus like fear, worry, money, relationships, to do lists, loneliness, housework, job stuff etc. She piled them in the hands of one volunteer. 

Use your imagination and picture those things written on these stones =)

She could barely hold them all. Then in another volunteer's hands, she placed just one stone and written on it was "Jesus." There is no room for Him when our hands are filled with all of those other stones. 

She had great suggestions to get rid of the "stones" that continued to steal our focus like placing verses in our pockets that we could look at throughout the day when we feel one of those other stones creeping up and taking over our thoughts. Also, simply saying to ourselves, "That thought is not from God, that's me talking" when we start thinking thoughts that are not healthy and really not helpful. She shared the example most moms can relate to. Having a pity party can really be distracting but so easy to do because as moms, we have so much to do and it never ends and we feel defeated and discouraged so much of the time.

But really taking charge of our thoughts and ending the damaging ones before they get the best of us is really the key. And obviously, it isn't something that happens overnight but eventually we will get better at putting those stones down and just holding onto the one that matters.

Lindsay also used this verse a few times to remind us that God intends so much more for our lives than pity parties and distracting stones. "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." John 10:10. God has big plans for us but we have to "Yield and relinquish fully to God and rely on His power." (from Lindsay's notes)

The next speaker was Shelly (Schaller). Shelly gave me the best spiritual metaphor. Christ is our anchor. An anchor can be used in calm or rough waters. It is used in storms to keep the boat from capsizing. It is used in the harbor to keep the boat from drifting. 

After hearing from both ladies, it was hard to pinpoint exactly what was distracting me from being a one stone girl and keeping myself anchored to Christ.

To read more from Amie's post go to Stones & Anchors.  

What Amie (and I, as well) did was to write down the distractions in our lives and all the stones that we kept trying to hold onto.  For me, it was freeing in a way to see these thoughts written down and realizing what I was holding onto.  It enabled me to pray over it and lift all those distractions up to God. 

Another speaker this weekend was Barbara (Alley) who spoke on devotional/quiet time. Do you know how refreshing it is to hear "do your quiet time when you can, any time of the day".  I loved it! For years I felt guilty because I did not do well at getting up early in the morning & spending time with Jesus. It got worse when I had children because I would get so frustrated with the constant interruptions, because no matter what time I tried to get up in the morning my children decided to wake up at that time too!  I also loved hearing all the different ways and times women had their quiet times with Jesus. Life gets busy and guilt over not making that time to be with Jesus can overwhelm us.  I know that's the case for me. One of the ways I worship is just singing (in my head, sometimes out loud if no one is around) whatever song God has placed on my heart.  For someone who talks up a storm, I am not so good at talking up a storm to God. I tend to have very quick short prayers, but songs - man, I can sing the same song (or portion of a song) constantly as long as it's on my heart.  Quiet time is communicating with our Heavenly Father, however we do it, whenever we do it. 

When I started writing this blog, this stanza (line, verse?) was resonating. 

So take me as you find me 

All my fears and failures

Fill my life again

Take my stones. Instill in me again and again who I am in Christ. Let my thoughts be Your thoughts and not the thoughts of others. Be my anchor. Meet me where I am.  Fill my life again.