Forest Cathedral
by Isabelle Ann
The Difficulties of Getting Away To God
I have obligations in life that I really can’t afford to excuse myself from, we all do. The battle is ongoing but if we do not remove ourselves from the frontlines we will be blindsided because of carelessness. A tired, stressed and worn-out person is a careless and clumsy person both physically and mentally. As God sees fit to incorporate me into more ministry work I will need to find the time to get away. I am now pursuing whatever God has me do right now. In some cases this means going where he calls. This week it was to be at a campground to preach to 50 people. In October it will be two weekends in a row Oct 15th and 22nd. This will be in conjunction with school and other requests for Bible Study. If I actually do a good job these opportunities can only increase. At some point it will become overwhelming and I will need to make conscious decisions to abstain for sanity’s sake.
Alone With My Maker
Most people work be searching for vacation of downtime when asked what getting “away” is. I feel just the opposite right now. For a while “getting away” meant getting away from the old me and the old grind of corporate life. Getting away now means getting into ministry and doing the will of God. Even work for God is better than rest in the old life. Work for God frees me from the burden of so-called rest in the world.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Psalms 84:10
My Soul Burns
My soul yearns to preach and speak of God as much as I can prepare for: Every week, twice a week, every day? Whatever God can support me through. My family has encouraged me, my friends understand it is …where I need to go. This is not actually a retreat in many peoples definition but when it allows me to dwell fully on God's Word, to me it is a getaway.
What To Do After Withdrawl From The World
When I retreat from the world I think about God. Think about how I can relax and still bring honor to God. I never shake off this responsibility. Many feel they need to get away to some far-away place or some exotic locale. I personally could care less about this. To me it is just an excuse to brag about how much money a person had to waste or how distant the place was. [*Yawn*] I guess the true get away for me is a campground in the mountains with a raging campfire with my kids tucked in in the camper and my wife and I just sitting in the woods in front of the fire. As the fire burns down we will look at the immensity of the night sky and the plethora of stars and the Milky Way.
The Sound of Solitiude With God
I got to be honest on this one. I feel like I should be doing stuff. I think just sitting around would make me uncomfortable. God knows this too. I generally have two speeds: On and Off. I would love being with God…I guess I would just need to be doing something for Him. Perhaps worship?
Sanctuary In God Removes Snares of The World
Time down cannot be a bad thing. I know from experience that I do not do “idle” too well and perhaps this is part of my problem. It is quite possible I need to not just “downshift” into a lower gear but perhaps actually shift into neutral so I can let the spiritual motor cool down and idle too. I realize if I continually race and pound the motor within me it will eventually break down and I will end up having a breakdown. This past summer when classes were over for a month after an 11 month stretch of full course load at Valley Forge Christian College I literally did not know how to deal with all the time off. It felt improper to be doing nothing. I felt guilty and didn’t know why. I now realize it is because I am wired to work not rest. It is time to rewire.
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