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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

3 Important Reasons Christians Need to “Retreat”

by Chautona Havig · 11 Comments

“I’ll miss chat this week. DH (internet-speak for “dear hubby”) and I are going on a retreat with our church.”

I know I wasn’t the only one who winced at the word “retreat.” Some because they knew the flurry of responses that would follow. Others because we’d been drilled about how evil it was for the church to “retreat.”

“We’re in a battle,” one woman said. “The church does not retreat. We press on, fight harder! ‘Onward, Christian soldiers!’”

And you know what? I bought it. Bought that entire idea with shield, sword, and breastplate shining!

I avoided the word in any form. In fact, when a dear friend invited me to a writing retreat, I winced even then. After all, we were Christians! We do NOT RETREAT.

You know what?

Hogwash.

That’s right. I said it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with God’s people “going on a retreat.” You know why? Well, for one thing, there’s more than one definition of retreat.

Merriam-Webster.com defines retreat thus:

1 a (1) : an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable (2) : the process of receding from a position or state attained the retreat of a glacier

b (1) : the usually forced withdrawal of troops from an enemy or from an advanced position (2) : a signal for retreating

c (1) : a signal given by bugle at the beginning of a military flag-lowering ceremony (2) : a military flag-lowering ceremony

2 : a place of privacy or safety : refuge

3 : a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director

I keep thinking about this word… retreat. It’s not a dirty word for Christians. It’s not a signal that we’re going to hand over ground to Satan. It’s not any of that.

Do you remember that song from the 1980s?

I didn’t know much Christian music as a teen—not beyond hymns and a few devotional songs. But I learned a couple and one was “The Warrior Is a Child.” One line in that song defines a Christian “retreat” in a whole new and very cool way. It says:

“I drop my sword and cry for just a while…”

Folks, that’s a retreat. Right into the arms of JESUS retreat.

The second verse is even more powerful. It shows that even while people think we’re not in retreat, technically we are… while Jesus handles it for us. It says:

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I’m amazing
Never face retreat
But they don’t see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

Oh, phooey. Here’s the song. It’s incredibly powerful (and kind of a cool video, too).


And the more I think about it, the more I think that maybe we’re too quick to attack an idea because its opposite just sounds so much more spiritual. It reminds me of the lessons I’ve been learning in Galatians where Paul attacks the Judiazers for doing that very thing. They took the simple, pure Gospel of Christ—the fulfilled law and tried to pile on the old law again, as if Christ’s work in the cross just wasn’t enough.

Well, no more.

From here on out, I’ll embrace the concept of retreat where it is right. No, we don’t run from a fight against Satan and his warriors. We don’t.

But neither do we fight against our wounded brother and sister warriors when they’re recuperating from battle. When they’re learning the next battle plan. We don’t ignore good military procedure in the name of “never retreating.”

If armies never retreated… ever, good soldiers would die needlessly. Washington after the Battle of Brooklyn or that little thing we all like to call “Dunkirk” in WWII. Retreating to fight another day saved lives. Thousands of lives. Lives that were spared to fight another day!

Or, we can just be like Napoleon. Always pushing forward. We can start with 680,000 men and finally make it out of Russia with half his soldiers dead (and another 100K in Russian prisons). Legend claims 22,000 made it back alive, but there isn’t sufficient evidence to prove that. It’s still way too many men for something as ridiculous as refusing to retreat.

Why? Just why?

3 Important Reasons Christians Need to "Retreat"

3 Important Reasons Christians Need to Retreat

Rest:

Jesus said it best.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Sometimes we become so battered, bruised, and broken that we can’t hold up a sword, our helmets are crushing us, and our shields have become hammered thin by the battle axes of our enemies. We’re dead on our feet.

Rest

We need rest.

And that’s what a retreat is designed to do. Feed our souls with the Word of God, give rest to our spirits by getting away with Him.

No soldier fights 24/7. It doesn’t happen. No soldier fights 24/7/365. We don’t have to either. We must be on guard. Prepared to fight, even. Even while on a retreat, we must know that a battle may commence. But usually, the Lord allows others to fight while we rest. We’ll be there for them next, right?

Strategizing:

We retreat to learn the battle plan. Whether led through it by God’s “generals” (shepherds) or as a result of careful study of the plan He’s laid out for us, there is a plan. We retreat to study it, to memorize it, to understand when to apply what strategy.

strategizing

In fact, we retreat to study. Where the pen is always mightier than the sword is where the pen scribed the Sword of Truth. God’s Word.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12)

Encouragement:

Look, I don’t want to reduce the richness that a church retreat can be to the equivalent of a pep rally, but the fact is, sometimes we need to be energized a bit. We need that “rah-rah-we-can-do-this” kind of encouragement to get us through the next battle the Lord has for us.

I think it’s interesting how so many people go on retreats with their church. The same people they sit next to week after week, the same people in their small groups, and their weekly Bible studies, and their after-service fellowships attend the same retreats. And they grow closer—more connected. They learn from one another in ways that don’t happen in the weekly connections back home.

Why is that?

I think it’s because we get into ruts in our daily lives. “Church” becomes something we do, we attend, we have instead of something we are. And all those things aren’t necessarily bad if the are part doesn’t go by the wayside.

Retreats take us out of those ruts and give us mini-revivals—of relationships. It builds camaraderie within the ranks. We learn what skills the others have. One might be fabulous at memorizing Scripture but lousy at understanding how to apply it. Another might know a ton about the New Testament but be weak on the Old Testament foreshadows that make the NT so much richer.

Retreats tend to show those strengths.

Retreats also show our weaknesses.

enouragement

There’s something about getting together in an unfamiliar place where there are no usual distractions that bring out our vulnerabilities. We learn to confess and open ourselves up to one another. And when that happens, Satan gets a kick in the teeth.

Because you see, I firmly believe that Satan wants us to keep these things from each other. Secrets and hidden flaws are perfect for keeping things superficial.

[clickToTweet tweet=”And superficial Christians are lousy warriors.” quote=”And superficial Christians are lousy warriors.”]

But at a retreat, we have a chance to encourage one another—there and again later. I Thessalonians 5:11 says:

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

Encouragement. It does the Body good.

I even have a bonus reason. Ready for it?

Though taken out of context, there’s this beautiful verse in Exodus 14:14 that says

“The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Yes, this was about Pharaoh’s pursuit and their entrapment at the Red Sea. Furthermore, I know that Moses still had to stretch out his staff, the people still had to march across. I know this. But what did Moses say? He said, “The Lord will fight for you.”

fight

Sometimes we retreat because it’s not our battle to fight. The Battle Belongs to the Lord. We’re here to praise and glorify Him for His victory fighting for us.

In fact… there’s a wonderful song for this, too!

Guess it’s time to find a retreat.

Because you know what? This idea has been percolating in my mind for over a decade, and I still haven’t attended a single retreat that wasn’t writing related. It’s time.

And to the gal who bravely admitted she was going to a church retreat that night… I’m glad you went. And thank you for your example. You kept me thinking.

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Filed Under: Devotional, Personal

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Comments

  1. Sarah Anderson says

    March 21, 2019 at 5:29 am

    Great article. Well thought out, and articulated. I also go on retreats. I need the break and refreshment that comes from other Christians. I have been pondering how accurate it is that “Retreats show our weaknesses…Secrets and hidden flaws are perfect for keeping things superficial…Superficial Christians are lousy warriors.” Makes me realize that there’s freedom in confessing sin. Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” and James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” We (Christians) also fight from a place of victory. I can stand in Christ’s victory over sin because I am in Christ.

    Reply
  2. Alicia Grab says

    May 9, 2018 at 3:10 pm

    Thanks, that’s a great reminder. One I need to do too.

    Reply
  3. Lisa Smith says

    May 7, 2018 at 7:12 am

    I have been on women’s Retreats, and couples retreats with my church and they are always amazing. Good for the soul. Just have to be open to Him. Hope you and your husband come back refreshed and have that armour on swords out.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 7, 2018 at 3:05 pm

      I’m not sure I’d ever get my husband to go, but that’s because he’s an even bigger introvert than I am. Which is hard to do! But, I’m looking and considering. I think it’s something I need to make a priority.

      Reply
  4. flocat says

    May 7, 2018 at 7:06 am

    Thanks for this. I find “shut down times”, “retreats”, etc. a great blessing for the many reasons you gave. Except “shut downs”, I do on my own, at my house, like the introvert that I am 🙂 I’m retreatng this week also, with the ladies from church. I’ll be thinking of you and praying for your. (((hugs))) (….. and I’m sure you’ve heard the old “We shouldn’t call it a retreat … It should be called an “advance”. 🙂

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 7, 2018 at 3:06 pm

      Actually, no! I’ve never heard that one. Weird. And that just seems a bit silly–like we have to find an acceptable term that makes us look “good”. Sigh.

      Reply
      • Rebekah D says

        May 7, 2018 at 6:40 pm

        My church actually calls the men’s retreats advances. It may have started as an “acceptable term”, but the church has embraced the idea that strategic retreats are actually an advance in the purposes that God has for the individuals and the church as a whole.

        I love the idea of retreats. But… ladies’ retreats are so far from us. It’s hard with littles and a church full of moms and grandmas of littles. And I ALWAYS get sick around the ones that do get scheduled.

        Reply
  5. Beth says

    May 7, 2018 at 6:51 am

    “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
    Mark 6:31 KJV

    My husband once observed, “If we don’t learn to ‘come apart and rest awhile’, after awhile we will just come apart.” 😉

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      May 7, 2018 at 3:07 pm

      Excellent way to put it.

      Reply
    • ozarkgrandma says

      May 7, 2018 at 6:03 pm

      This is an interesting point of view for me. I’d not heard that before, (not to “retreat”) and I have been in a very “conservative” kind of church all my life. I have been to quite a few church women’s retreats and to a marriage retreat/seminar (?) and have been blessed and encouraged by each one. Mark 6:31 is the verse that came to my mind, and I was glad to see someone else post it.

      Reply
    • Mary Stephens says

      May 11, 2018 at 7:44 pm

      Beth, I was thinking of the same verse! 🙂

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
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Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 482: A Chat with Lara d'Entremont
byChautona Havig

When Lara d’Entremont began describing her YA portal fantasy, The Painted Fairytale, I knew this would be right up my alley. Listen in and see how art becomes the portal to other worlds!

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Portal fantasy is my favorite, so I was crazy excited to learn about this one–especially the art tie-in. I can’t wait to dive in myself.

We chatted about her characters, the world, and the faith that connects them.

The Painted Fairytale by Lara d’Entremont

Seventeen-year-old Wren Devine refuses to share her art with anyone-other than her parents and her sister (who died three years prior). But when her mother submits her artwork to a mentorship program, and she gets accepted, Wren is forced to display her artwork for the eccentric Professor Hayes. Despite her fears, Wren hopes this mentorship will finally make her as worthy as her sister.

But this mentorship is about more than painting.

Wren soon learns that she has a magical ability to turn her paintings into portals to travel not only to other places but also to another world entirely. An eerie children’s book in the professor’s classroom reveals a wicked pirate with a vengeance who has her eye on Stefan Branson, a former student of Professor Hayes.

As all four of these lives intersect, it becomes apparent that everyone has a secret–some more deadly than others. The longer these secrets brew, the more deadly and heavy they become, and possibly lead to never seeing her former, earthly realm again. Wren must not only learn to release the shadow of her beloved sister but step boldly into her own world.

Learn more about Lara on her WEBSITE and follow her on GoodReads.or on Subtack.

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