To “come away and rest” seems so counter-cultural. Surely we should be planning another meeting or a bucket-list destination. But going somewhere to rest? Why would we do that?
Jesus makes that invitation very clear.* The disciples need respite. They’ve been so busy, coming and going, that they haven’t even had time to eat, so they get in a boat together, hoping to find a quiet spot away from the clamoring crowds.
For me, silent retreat is that place of rest and reflection. It is always an effort, choosing to step away from my computer and cellphone, news of the day and even sociable conversation with people I care about. It’s a choice for another realm that I can’t see and barely remember when I’m so busy at home.
Somehow I forget how to listen to the land breathe, the air smile. But once I arrive at Dayspring and get settled, the silence begins to quicken with other sounds and smells, as though they have been waiting for me. I walk down through the pines toward Lake of the Saints, letting my feet lead the way. I’m sinking into another register, another world.
It hardly matters what the theme of the retreat is, because what I’m hearing comes more from the inside than from spoken words. My dreams are more vivid on retreat and I can journal at 2am without bothering anybody. Other times and deeper questions come drifting up now that there is space.
I am always tempted to fill the space with reading or planned review of my journals, but I’ve learned to let that go – to practice emptiness. And by the end of a weekend, I can sense a kind of aliveness in my body that feels new, different. Hopeful, and ready to engage the world again,
“Come away and rest awhile,” he said, and they went.
