Ladies Winter Retreat 2010

Melissa, Me, & Mel

The Main Atrium of the Lodge...Gorgeous!

I recently went on a ladies retreat with the church we've been attending on and off for about a year or so now. The retreat was themed L3 (L cubed...I can't get the superscript # to show up correctly in this format) or, in other words... Living Exponentially (Live Loud, Laugh Loud, Love Loud). I cannot put in words how inspiring and uplifting this trip was, but I will try to give you just a sample of what I took away from this weekend so that you, too, may be inspired.

First of all, it was so inspiring to hear the testimonies of other women...not just any women, though. Women who, on the outside, seemed to have it all together but on the inside had been broken down and kicked to the curb by themselves or loved ones. Listening to how these women overcame obstacles such as doubt, fear, anxiety, incompleteness, longingness, anorexia, and betrayal through the Lord Jesus was aw inspiring for me. I don't know about you, but sometimes when things just seem to be going all wrong or when you just have a bad day or week, it is easy to throw yourself a pity party and dwell on how bad things are. These women helped reinforce a fact that I already knew but needed to be reminded of...You shouldn't just call on the Lord for help in bad times when you feel it is a last resort, but in the good times as well. After all, He is responsible for the good things that happen to us, too. I am quite guilty of leaning on the Lord when I am going through a hard time in life. One most recent example is when I was without a "real" job for six months and my dream job was nowhere in sight despite sending in countless resumes and letters of interest. I am almost ashamed to say that I prayed faithfully during this time period of hardship. Once my dream job came along I gave thanks to the Lord for all He had done and then once again I was back to my old ways of not reading His Word and not talking to Him on a regular basis. After this refreshing weekend, I am now back on track and closer to my Lord through His Word and prayer which, after all, was the purpose of this weekend (even though shopping, eating, and fellowshipping were very fun)!

Speaking of shopping, eating, and fellowshipping...

After the Saturday morning session, we had five hours to explore the nearby towns of Clayton, Dillard, and Rabun. We had lunch at Chick-Fil-A and then headed to downtown Clayton and Dillard for some shopping. There were so many neat stores and cute little cafe's. When we arrived back at the lodge for dinner, I was very impressed. The dinner was prepared by the in house caterer and consisted of spring mix salad, garlic bread, smothered chicken with caramelized onions and peppers and jack cheese, baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, and a double fudge brownie with vanilla bean ice cream. There were two more sessions after dinner and then we hit the sack to gear up for the final session on Sunday morning.

One last note..."Living a Legacy...Leaving a Legacy"

I would say that the single most inspiring and thought-provoking moment from the entire weekend for me was when one of the women spoke on "Living a Legacy and Leaving a Legacy". Basically, she inspired me to think about how the way I live now is a legacy, but it is up to me what kind of legacy I choose to live. She went on to explain that the legacies we live now will follow us after we are long gone. Those legacies may be in the memories of our children and grandchildren, our friends, our families, and our enemies. It is our (MY) decision to choose if our legacy will be a witness to the Lords' Kingdom. Everything we do can affect our legacy...Even simple things like (how quick we are to anger, how we handle a screaming two year old in a crowded restaurant, how we treat our tennis opponents, how we treat our co-workers and everyone else, how we treat a passer-by, how quick we are to forgive, how we choose to offer advice, etc...). How Inspiring!