If you have ever been on a spiritual retreat, you know how refreshing and invigorating the experience can be. Finding time away for a few days, or even a day or two, is difficult for most of us. While getting away from the distractions of every day life is the ideal way to experience a retreat, fortunately, there are alternatives for when our time and resources are limited.
I learned of an online retreat from a blog that I follow, Thoughts On Grace . On her blog, Colleen Spiro offers the experience of online retreats. Colleen is a published author and deacon's wife. On her website, Catholic Prayer Life , you can find information about her books, newsletters (I subscribe to a weekly publication called Prayerful Morsels where Colleen shares from her heart), and three retreats she is currently offering. The retreats are free, and what I love about them is they can be "attended" at your convenience. If you have a few minutes where you can sneak away to a quiet, peaceful place, you can do an online retreat.
The retreat I chose was her latest, entitled Let Go And Let God. I knew I had chosen exactly the experience I needed when what I was reading described me. Yes, I have trouble letting go of my
worries, pain, and concerns. Yes, I often try to hand them over to
God, only to take them back because I have control issues. Yes, I acknowledge that I have difficulty waiting on God and trusting.
This experience helped me identify specific areas in my life that are taking the place of Jesus in my heart. It showed me attitudes and attachments that have been detrimental to my spiritual and emotional growth. And it gave me hope that, not on my own, but through Jesus I can do anything.
I am a journaler, and chose to write about my thoughts on this retreat. Personal preference...I love to write. You may choose to just read each day's selection and then spend some quiet time
reflecting. We must do what works for us. This is the beauty of this type of retreat. You can do it your way. This particular one was three days. You can do them three days in a row. Or whenever you have some time to devote to them. You can spend a few stolen
minutes, or a couple of hours, whatever fits your mood or
limitations.
I am also an artist and often use my art as a vehicle to express my feelings. After these three days, I was drawing in my Zentangle journal. Zentangle is a form of doodling, for lack of a better word. More about that in another post. What developed from that is this ZIA (Zentangle inspired art) piece at the beginning of this article, which I will add to my prayer journal. As I drew my tangles (all those strokes that form a Zentangle), and prayed, I wrote those things which I have a difficult time letting go of and made them part of my artwork.
I hope you will take a moment to check out Colleen's blog, website, and retreats. The links are above, highlighted. Let me know what you think. If you decide to try one of the retreats, let me know about your experience.
Blessings,
lynda
The retreat I chose was her latest, entitled Let Go And Let God. I knew I had chosen exactly the experience I needed when what I was reading described me. Yes, I have trouble letting go of my
worries, pain, and concerns. Yes, I often try to hand them over to
God, only to take them back because I have control issues. Yes, I acknowledge that I have difficulty waiting on God and trusting.
This experience helped me identify specific areas in my life that are taking the place of Jesus in my heart. It showed me attitudes and attachments that have been detrimental to my spiritual and emotional growth. And it gave me hope that, not on my own, but through Jesus I can do anything.
I am a journaler, and chose to write about my thoughts on this retreat. Personal preference...I love to write. You may choose to just read each day's selection and then spend some quiet time
reflecting. We must do what works for us. This is the beauty of this type of retreat. You can do it your way. This particular one was three days. You can do them three days in a row. Or whenever you have some time to devote to them. You can spend a few stolen
minutes, or a couple of hours, whatever fits your mood or
limitations.
I am also an artist and often use my art as a vehicle to express my feelings. After these three days, I was drawing in my Zentangle journal. Zentangle is a form of doodling, for lack of a better word. More about that in another post. What developed from that is this ZIA (Zentangle inspired art) piece at the beginning of this article, which I will add to my prayer journal. As I drew my tangles (all those strokes that form a Zentangle), and prayed, I wrote those things which I have a difficult time letting go of and made them part of my artwork.
I hope you will take a moment to check out Colleen's blog, website, and retreats. The links are above, highlighted. Let me know what you think. If you decide to try one of the retreats, let me know about your experience.
Blessings,
lynda
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