Are you a gardener? If so, then you know the excitement of planning, organizing and orchestrating the colorful blooms in your yard. You know the work involved and the prayer necessary to obtain adequate rain for growth. You know the perils of the pruning process and the rigors of scheduled fertilization and systematic irrigation. Perhaps you have even indulged your garden with hardscapes, ponds and bird houses. As a gardener, there is always plenty to do in managing the earth and even more to learn, especially when it comes to dealing with herbivorous critters and audacious weeds. Where do all those weeds come from anyway? And why are they always so much hardier than the cultivated seedlings!
Using the garden example, allow me to explain an idea birthed through prayer. We are each responsible before God to be faithful with our gifting in the Kingdom of Christ. The parables that Jesus used to teach on stewardship illustrate that we are to live faithfully as we await His return (Mt. 25). So, how do we prepare our hearts and families for the event of His return?
The most beneficial avenue of preparation is primarily to spend time with God, allowing His Spirit to transform us through the truth of His Word (Ro. 12:2). Would a weekend retreat of reading and resting in the Word of God help with that? Do you need to get away from a hectic schedule and refresh yourself in the presence of God? Oh and what about visiting the most amazing Christian Bookstore on the planet! Yes, that would be part of the weekend too... shopping!
What does all this have to do with gardening? Well, our plans can be like weeds, springing up with roots that extend into Texas or they can be like beautiful red roses with dew drops glistening on each petal. I am wondering...is this retreat idea a good plan for us to initiate and you participate in? Is it a sweet smelling rose that honors God? Or is it simply a tenacious weed with an bodacious root system that will drive us all crazy!
There are a few things to consider. The mind of a man plans his way but the Lord directs his steps (Pro. 16:9). We should trust God to lead us so prayer will definately be the first step. Then waiting....yes, waiting. After we pray, we must wait to see how God answers. Waiting is actually harder than praying because we tend to put God on the clock and give Him a time line to follow. God rarely follows our time lines.
We also need to consider that the effort required for this endeavour would be complex. A weekend retreat doesn't just happen you know. God can speak things into existence but we humans have to put our hands to plow. It takes planning, praying and digging just like working a garden. Someone said, “Exhilaration is that feeling you get just after a great idea hits you and just before you realize what's wrong with it.” We would definately need the energy of God coarsing through us. We would need His Word in our minds, His will in our hearts and His Spirit anointing every step of each lesson. As I sit here in the comfort of my home on a sluggish, rainy day...I am wondering...is this really a good idea?
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