I just came back from our women's retreat in Leesburg, Virginia. It was the first time in years I got to get away without the kids for a personal retreat. Our retreat focused on eating the Word of God, receiving Holy Communion, spending time in prayer, and experiencing true fellowship. All of these topics are things I've learned about since I was a child, but as life gets busier and more distracting, my soul feels emptier as I unknowingly neglect feeding myself with these spiritual necessities.
I realized this weekend how much I need God's grace. He is the One who gives us the desire to pray, read His Word, and receive Him, and He is also the one who gives us the strength to do all of it. All of this so we can be in His Presence...the One place where we find fullness of joy. So what's our part? After this weekend, I realized that our part is simply to work on emptying ourselves and our lives so He can have room to come in...so that we can hear Him when we read His word and not have a cluttered mind; so we can really feel the power of His Body and Blood inside of us and not quench its power; so we can feel His presence in our prayers and not be distracted by thinking of what we have to do next; and so we can wait on Him to provide us with true fellowship instead of hurrying to fill up our calenders with events to mask our loneliness.
I'm starting to "clean up". I deleted my Facebook application on my phone (hopefully that lasts!). I am going to resist the urge to busy my days with events for the kids and I. I am going to do all of these things and more, and then I will pray that Your presence finds a place in my heart and in my home.
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