Journey Beginnings

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Yesterday I posted about the beginnings of my spiritual journey/retreat that I am in the midst of planning. I was actually able to sit down and come up with some goals to accomplish throughout this time period. I hope to share some of them with you in the days to come. They are loose plans, not set in stone. I want to remain open to the leading of the Holy Spirit throughout this time. I am finding that the more I am praying and searching God's heart for what He desires during this retreat, the more excited I am becoming. I am choosing the above verse as my theme for this time of learning and growing closer to the Lord.

I added Psalm 4:8 to the top of my blog as a daily reminder. Last night before going to bed, I found myself feeling a bit stressed. As I was trying to sleep, I started quoting this verse to myself. "I will lie down in peace and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." I fell asleep quickly and actually slept for six hours straight. This is something that I haven't done since I started with health problems in early November. This was a major joy for me today.

I find too that as I am focusing on spiritual areas I desire to improve upon, God is also showing me other areas in which I need to concentrate. I have been working on some small areas around the house that needed attention. It took me a while, but I was finally able to sort through some paperwork that had been accumulating on my kitchen counter. I even found myself humming hymns from time to time as I worked. Yesterday I was able to get completely caught up with lesson plans, grading papers, etc. for home school. I am doing things in small increments, but slowly accomplishing as well.

This morning in my devotions I was reading a section of the Christmas story. I was struck by these words. "For nothing is impossible with God." Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." (Luke 1:37-38) It was a great reminder that nothing is impossible. We can always trust the Lord. I pray that I will choose to respond, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants." Even if that means I am continually plagued with health issues, even if..... The list could go on and on.

As I was driving my son to swim practice, I was struck with the realization of the importance of doing a spiritual retreat perhaps on a yearly basis. Of course it wouldn't need to be as long as I am planning for mine to be. It could be customized to the time frame that you have available, perhaps shorter or even longer. Obviously it would look different for each person. But the important part is asking God to guide you in how He wants your spiritual retreat to proceed.

Well these are my musings for the day.