Come up for air...

Portions of the fuller definition of RETREAT from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The term retreat has several related meanings, all of which have in common the notion of safety or temporarily removing oneself from one's usual environment. A retreat can be taken for reasons related to spirituality, stress, health, lifestyle, etc.

A retreat can either be a time of solitude or a community experience. Some retreats are held in silence, and on others there may be a great deal of conversation, depending on the understanding and accepted practices of the host facility and/or the participant(s).

Spiritual retreats allow time for reflection, prayer, or meditation.

There are probably better definitions, but I think the idea is to plan to get away for some purposeful alone time, but with a Godward motive not just me-time. And it's different than just a fun vacation. Hopefully, you will come back refreshed, and encouraged and by God's grace changed (and more organized!) and in this way your husband, children, family, friends (believers and unbelievers alike), workplace and church will even be blessed by the retreat.

More on this later, perhaps, but I had no idea how easy it was to plan a retreat within my crazy schedule. It wasn't too hard at all. After reading Shopping for Time, I was determined to make this a priority, because I caught the author's excitement for how valuable it had been, in her life and countless others. Donald Whitney of SBTS says the same thing.

Mrs. Mahaney counseled through her book, to grab your calendar and plan a date and so, a dear friend and I decided to do just that. I am not writing this to brag about my upcoming getaway, but to perhaps inspire you to do the same. Are you busy? No time to even think? Prioritize? Take a personal day. Plan waaaaay ahead if you need to (like me). Take a weekend or even just a few hours. Examine your life, goals, beliefs, habits, schedule, family, etc. It's not too hard. Grab a calendar, friend, obtain a babysitter and maybe a few bucks and take a weekend or just a few hours at Starbucks or the local park. Get away. Seek time to reflect, read, pray, visit, etc. I think it's a great idea. I've almost sold the idea on Dustin, too. I think maybe everyone could be helped (although it's not mandatory, of course) by temporarily removing oneself from one's usual environment. More on this later... perhaps.