by Kim Layton
2009 spring retreat attendee

When I woke up the morning of the Women's Spring Retreat, the list of things to do was more overwhelming than usual. Between the kids' activities, work, and getting things ready for the weekend, I wasn't sure there were enough hours in the day to get it all done. In fact, I was positive I would fall short. Something had to give.

The stress was mounting as I scoured the list, prioritizing and looking for things to cut out in order to make it easier to "check things off." It was my own fault. Months earlier, my friend Cathy and I had registered to attend the Stonebriar Women's Retreat and suddenly the weekend had arrived. As my thoughts raced, I found myself feeling guilty for wishing I had not registered for the retreat. "If only I wasn’t going," I thought. "How much easier this day would be for me." But it was too late to cancel; my friend and I had committed to go. We had been counting on the time we would finally have to spend together, so I got ready for the day and tackled the list.

That afternoon we met as planned and headed out to the retreat. It didn't take long for our conversation to turn to the hectic day we'd each had. I even admitted that I'd considered cancelling out on the weekend. As it turned out, she felt the same way. We decided to continue on and enjoy the time together. What neither of us expected was the overwhelming joy and sharing we experienced that weekend. Women of all ages and stages of life had come together to share experiences and encourage each other. We had each arrived with various issues, challenges, and stress levels, but it didn’t matter what kind of baggage we had brought along. Once we arrived, it was as if the Lord himself greeted us, took our bags, and asked us to make ourselves comfortable. He was in charge now.

Christ used all the ladies in attendance and the speaker to draw us closer to Him and to each other. The freedom was incredible. During the weekend my relationship with the Lord and others deepened, and I met many new friends whom I still see today. As my friend and I drove home on Sunday, engulfed in His love, I reflected on that stressed woman from two days before. How different my priorities had become. If I had cut that retreat from my list, I would have cut the opportunity to experience Christ’s love being lived out through other women—and myself.

This year, the Women's Spring Retreat is a top priority, and I look forward to refreshing my spirit and enjoying all Christ has in store for those few, blessed days. I hope you will take a few moments to add this weekend retreat to your to-do list.