The Retreat

I didn't get to share my testimony at the retreat. Scheduling or something changed...maybe even it was forgotten that I was asked, but that is okay because God chose to use the testimonies of others this weekend. He'll use me another day and I will be just as amazed!



It was an awesome weekend of worship, learning, fun and fellowship among my sisters in Christ. I made new friends and learned new truths about my Father. Some truths I already knew, but through the experiences of others and what they had to share about God, those truths were affirmed once again.



God is faithful and He alone can be trusted. We will fail. Our friends, spouses and children will fail. God will never fail. Never.



God will forgive. God is merciful. God loves unconditionally.



This morning we had a "break" from the norm. The 39 women who made it to the retreat broke into 4 groups. Each group then went to a certain "station". We participated in a "low ropes course":

Bridge is Out - The entire team must devise a way to get from one platform, about 2 feet off the ground, to another platform located about 15 feet away using just two boards neither of which is long enough to bridge the span alone.

Wobble Wire - Two steel cables are attached to one pole, and then stretched to other poles about 15 feet apart. Each cable goes to a separate pole creating an open triangle. The object is for 2 people to make it from the starting pole (where the cables are fairly close together) to the other poles. With each step toward the goal the participants are pulling farther from each other. The trick is to balance and "push" against the other person and make it to the end without falling off.

Trust Fall - Participants fall backward into the arms of "trusted" individuals off of a platform approximately four feet off the ground.

Spider Web - an elaborate web of ropes is suspended in the air with about 15 "holes" through which another rope is threaded. The trick is to not allow the rope being threaded to come into contact with the web or the ground.

The ropes course is designed to foster teamwork and requires critical thinking and problem solving. Spiritual truths could also be applied.



The Bridge exercises required us to think about how to get across a lake filled with hungry piranhas by using two boards, each of which was not long enough to span the distance between the tiny islands. It was another exercises in trust and required a lot of problem solving. We lost four women to the piranhas, including one of our pastor's wives. Oops. We learned who we couldn't trust!



I tried very hard on the wobble wire and Carol and I made it about 2/3rds of the way through that. It was not easy to do! You definitely need to trust your partner enough to be able to lean against them, and the only contact you have with them is the palm of your hands. When I got off the wobble wire my legs felt like I was still on it even though I was on solid ground! Reminded me to make sure my faith was planted firmly on a strong foundation, on Christ, or it is sure to wobble!



The Trust Fall was interesting. We had so many pregnant women along that they couldn't really participate in this one. We borrowed from other groups and what was interesting to me in this one was how nervous I was as the "catcher". I was part of the team catching those courageous enough to trust us to catch them. There was a little boy there who went first to demonstrate and when I felt how hard he hit us when he fell, I was actually a bit afraid when the first adult fell. I thought about how my little role in the catching, while seemingly small, it was a very significant link in the process. The body of Christ is similar. Sometimes we might see our part as small and insignificant, but if you aren't contributing the gifts God gave you, you aren't being obedient and in essence you are weakening the entire body. If I had dropped my arms at the last minute it would be quite possible that the others would not have the strength to hold on, and the team member falling would fall to the ground. It is our responsibility in the body of Christ to do our part. God gave us our gifts to edify the Body and hold each other up.



The web was the most enlightening obstacle of all, at least for me. It was very difficult to thread one rope through the web and not allow it to touch. We were able to feed it through one hole, turn and thread it through another, but the further we got it through, the more places it became possible for it to touch. One person could not do this because you can't keep track of all the possible places the rope could touch. Anytime it did, we had to be honest enough to admit it, pull the rope out, and begin again.



At one point the rope was threaded a fairly decent amount and it touched. We Christians, of course (*tongue in cheek), were honest enough to point out the "error" and start again. We had to persevere. What does perseverance lead to? Patience! Obviously NOT my kind of game! LOL



We started again and it "touched". Again. "Touched!". Again...touched! (we were really bad at this one! LOL)



We kept starting over and trying again. The rope again got to a certain point and it touched. "TOUCHED!" we'd say and then the instructor on site said "forgiven, continue toward the goal". The rope continued being threaded and again it would brush up against the web somewhere. "Touched!" "Forgiven" said the instructor.



Oh how awesome God is. Touched = sin. Does He require us to start over every time we sin? He says "Go and sin no more". We try again. We fail. He says "forgiven" and wipes that transgression from His "selective" memory. We don't necessarily start over, way back at the beginning, because often times we can't. That is something in the past. God forgives and helps us move on from right where we are. He finds us where we are and if we let Him, He will carry us on through.



Christians fail in their walks almost daily. God forgives and urges toward the goal. Reach for the prize! The process is called sanctification and I learned a lot from a bunch of wires and ropes today. I can't wait until next year!