We’re living in a task-driven world and I am a task-driven boy. And because of that, I have grown to cherish the days on my calendar labeled “Spiritual Retreat Day.” Each of us on the @NRSMonline team tries to block out one day every 4-6 weeks when we can get away from the office, our task list, other human beings, and the beeps & boops of our social networks. These days are an opportunity for us to get alone with our God and with our thoughts, and to simply recharge.
After my last day away from it all, I jotted down some thoughts that have helped me along the way. Obviously we all have different ideas of what “away” really looks like, but maybe a couple of these ideas can make your pursuit of a Spiritual Retreat Day more successful.
Pre-Game…
Sleep in. Yes, we all know Jesus got up early and prayed by himself in the garden. Well, Jesus probably didn’t have ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN-News, ESPN-U, or ESPN-1st Century Roman Empire. My point is, it got dark, so Jesus went to sleep. He probably got up early, only after knocking off a solid 8 hours. Plus, I don’t hear anyone telling me God’s desire is that I pray in a garden like Jesus, so why should I have to be super-spiritual early in the morning like Jesus? The main thing here is get enough sleep. That may mean going to bed early the night before or sleeping in. Be well, be rested.
Eat a good breakfast. Remember that class you had in high school that was right before lunch? You failed that class. I like to kiss my babies goodbye and grab a nice sit down breakfast at the local diner. A full belly is a spiritual belly.
Clear any unavoidable distractions. Your goal is to make your day free of all the normal distractions, but if you know your mind is going to be constantly drifting back to email/Facebook/Twitter/text, take a couple minutes to clear those out before you leave home. Put your mind at ease about who may have posted on your wall at 2am last night, or what happened in that football game after you went to bed. If you need to, give your wife a heads up about your location in case one of your kids jumps off the roof while you’re gone.
Your Spiritual Retreat…
Move slower all day. Seriously, everything you do during the entire day…do it slower. We do everything so freaking fast these days. Take time on this particular day to walk slower, eat slower, talk slower, drive slower (maybe go the speed limit instead of 5 over), read slower, pray slower. Everything.
Location. Your location is key to this whole deal. You need someplace quiet (this is a non-negotiable). You also need an environment that is somewhat new or unknown to you. For me, the more familiar a place is, the more likely I am to fall into whatever routine I’m used to following in that spot. New place…new routine. Finally, you need to be alone. That doesn’t necessarily mean there can’t be other people in the same building or room (although you might need that), but it needs to be a place where no one knows you and no one will be bothering or distracting you.
No retreat agenda. Agendas & task lists are the enemies of your Spiritual Retreat Day.
#1-Agendas prevent you from moving slower. If you have some items to cross off a list, your tendency is to dive in full steam ahead. Unacceptable. What if you get 45 minutes into your time alone and don’t feel like you’ve accomplished anything yet? Oh well!
#2-Agendas lead to a defined “win,” and a defined “win” creates the possibility that you might “lose.” There is no failure on this day. There are no unfulfilled expectations on this day. There are no unfinished tasks on this day. If your Spiritual Retreat Day exists, you win. Besides, you can always go back to being a loser tomorrow.
Miscellaneous. A couple other things you might want to try…
*Split the day in half. If you’re like me, hours upon hours of silence & alone time can be tough. Pack up, have a solid lunch, and start over at a 2nd location for the afternoon.
*Use borrowed technology. If you feel the need to listen to a sermon podcast or absolutely have to hit the web for some reason, use someone else’s stuff (maybe the library?). Stay away from anything that would have your email notifications or favorite websites bookmarked.
*Journal. I’m not a journaler, but in some situations I’ve found it to be extremely beneficial. It’s very likely God is going to join you on this adventure, and it’s a lot easier to remember what he says if you write it down.
Alien invasion? Never woulda happened if Jeff Goldblum hadn't taken that Spiritual Retreat Day.
One last thing to remember. You aren’t as important as you think you are. Disappear for a day. We’ll be here when you get back.
This was amazing. I am going to do this within these next few weeks. Great gameplan! thank you
So your saying on this day we basically become bums? Wish i could but i need to work and make that paper.