Reflection on Soul Care Retreat

by Steve Hong

The Soul Care Retreat I attended last weekend arrived on the heels of a brutal work week. I had been anticipating the solitude and silence since even before last Christmas, so I didn’t need another reason to look forward to it. Even the never-ending rain leading up to the weekend wasn’t enough to dampen my outlook.

Some things I experienced at the retreat will remain between me and my Creator. Some things will remain amongst the five of us who were there. But some things should be shared with those who prayed for and remembered us over the weekend. Here are a few of those things:

• God is good. He unexpectedly opened the door for a brother to join the group on very short notice. He watched over us as we journeyed up the windy and slippery roads in inclement weather with chains on the wrong tires. He withheld the rain and snow and supplanted the clouds with the bluest of skies once we awoke on Saturday.

• God is patient. He waited for me for nearly two hours as I misunderstood silence to be merely the absence of sound and solitude to be simply being by myself. He spoke but only seven words to me during our morning session because my mind was noisy with burdens and pains and self-centeredness. He chose words that were few but which could not have been more perfect.

• God is beautiful. He reached out me with so many beautiful Psalms which capture my heart’s desires and shortcomings and his heart’s desires and sufficiency. He blessed me with the beautiful companionship of others who were likeminded. He showed me that refuge and rest under his wings is indeed beautiful.

• God is my shepherd. He restores and comforts my soul and provides a roadmap through the valleys that surely lay ahead. He disciplines me when I stray, finds me when lost, and heals me when injured. He meets my every need despite me not knowing it.

I’m thankful I found communion with God this past weekend. But I was surprised to find sweet fellowship as well, and for that I am thankful still. I look forward to growing these disciplines and allowing God to care for my soul in the weeks and months to come.