Marriage Retreat?

The problem with our culture is that we expect quick fixes, drive through resolutions, and convenience at every turn. I am guilty of it. I only like to work hard if I can see immediate results. I only take vitamins if I can feel them working. I only diet if I can actually see that I am losing weight.

So what does this have to do with Marriage and a marriage retreat?

Well, lately I have found that my Bible reading has been almost non-existent. I admit it. I have been a Christian since the age of 5 and I have found that my relationship with Christ is becoming boring and stale. Where is the spark? The Joy? The passion? I told this to a close friend of mine and expressed that I don’t love God any less, it is jus that I don’t feel like spending time with him anymore. Gulp. I try to go through the motions of reading, but I feel like “I know this already, blah, blah, blah, be kind, love one another, pray, repent, etc…”

He suggested that I stop trying to read the Bible at my house or at the usual places and that perhaps I needed to change up my study habits, go to a coffee shop or outdoors, take a 3 day weekend and get away and spend some one-on-one time with God. What? Go away on a retreat? Who has time for a retreat? Who has time for God?

I mulled this over in my head. I chewed on these words of advice like a big blob of cud. In the Bible it talks about us being the bride of Christ, but that is a difficult metaphor for me to wrap my head around – the bride? Our relationship to God is just like a marriage and even though I am not married, in my almost 30 years on this earth I have observed that marriages sometimes need a retreat, a refueling, some TNT!

I need my spiritual walk blowed up!

I am going to go up to Mardel’s or some other Christian bookstore and pick up some C.S. Lewis or Bonhoffer, or Piper, or Tozer, (can I drop some more names?) and try something new with God because I miss what we used to have.