On the first day of Spiritual Retreats class Dr. Bob, opened up our class with prayer and prayed of newness. At the end of class we took time to silently reflect on a single word or phrase. Immediately, I felt as though the Lord was speaking to me these words, “I make all things new.” The next day I spent the afternoon in my first Representative Theologians class of the quarter. Dr. Dearborn opened up in prayer ending with, “thank you for being a God that continually makes us new and all things new.” I can’t even begin to express the refreshment these words have brought to me this quarter. They have permeated my thinking and my actions in remarkable ways.
What have I gained from this quarter? Oh, so many things! Winter quarter has been incredibly eye opening. From so many avenues I’ve learned more of what it means to be refreshed through rest and retreat. Through retreat, my imagination has been baptized into thinking that is much more expansive. The gospel is richly poetic, bursting with imagination. A poetic rendering of the gospel frees our trapped selves to embrace existence with greater possibility; a world enlivened with fresh meaning where life isn't limited but richly imaginative. The gift of retreat is an invitation into a new life of freedom to experience this imagination of our Creator through spiritual means like contemplation, engagement, self-disclosure, Spirit and community.
It fascinates me that God would choose to breathe rest into my life this quarter considering it has been one of the busiest, most demanding times of my life. But it has also been filled to the brim with retreat. I can’t help but stop to praise God for the ways in which He sustains us. We cannot do so on our own. I’m tremendously thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given to slow down and to reflect on the One who brings ultimate healing and fullness to our frenzied lives.
Endlessly, I’ve been reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (NIV 11:28-30) As I was just looking more fully at the context of this passage, Jesus stops suddenly to say, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do” (NIV 11:25-26). I’ve learned to appreciate the wonder and imagination of the gospel like a child so much more this quarter through experiencing a wealth of rest. In relinquishing my self-governing ways, I’ve more fully taken on the burden of Christ which counters wholly our individual efforts at understanding. As Dr. Nienhuis pointed out in the Lectio for Matthew 11, “Jesus insists that he provides the only point of access to God, and no one can know God apart from what he reveals. Clamoring after powerful signs or seeking worldly wisdom will not do, for Christ himself is the revelation of the mysterious power and wisdom of God.”
I pray God would persist in “making all things new” as I continue to relinquish my self-governing tendencies to embrace the burdens of Christ where rest brings transformative restoration. Only through taking Christ’s yoke upon me via avenues of retreating will God continue to work and shape my life for His Kingdom.
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