This weekend the commander and I are away at the marriage retreat sponsored by our church. We are at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, NC and it is amazingly beautiful!! Nestled in the mountains with stunning panoramic views, peaceful, bubbling streams, and a sense of peace that pervades every inch, it is the perfect place to detach from every-day life and reconnect with the one God gave you to walk with. There is, however, one drawback to this scenic beauty - there is wildlife. Everywhere. Everyone who knows me well and, in fact, anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes, knows I have a well-documented issue with bears. My main problem being, they will eat you. They are from the devil, everyone knows that. God put bears on the earth to show us what sorts of things inhabit the nether regions of the underworld. Anyway, you get the picture.
Last night we had our first session here. We meet in a building just a little ways up the mountain from where we are staying, but they graciously provide a shuttle to take us back and forth. It was a great meeting with an interesting, engaging speaker and despite being exhausted from the drive and such we really enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards, there were snacks downstairs and plenty of time to sit and talk and enjoy ourselves. Eventually, it was time to head back to our room and here's where things got dicey. You see, I wanted to wait for the shuttle, but the commander wanted to walk. W.A.L.K! In the dark, at night, in the woods, in the mountains, where there are bears! (see above) It's amazing how quickly all those lovely words about giving yourself for your spouse, about doing things just because it makes them happy, about putting them first can disappear. Gone, every. Last. Word. When bears are involved, all bets are off! The thing is, the Holy Spirit can be very difficult to work with at times and though I tried and tried to ignore him, he continued to nudge and nudge and
scream in my ear whisper softly to my heart to step out of my comfort zone and do something my nature loving husband enjoys. I have nothing against nature, I enjoy nature. I could stare out the window at it all day long! Eventually, I could not ignore it any longer so I agreed to make the dangerously epic journey back to the lodge. Yes, you heard me, I was willing to make the 1/4 mile trek through the bear infested woods, straight down the side of a mountain, in the dead of night back to the safety of the room, all for the love of a certain bald man, despite his scoffing at my bear issue! Imagine my horror, my abstract terror, when we reached the trail head to find a sign informing us about the BEARS!! The commander was quick to point out the part that described the furry monsters as "shy" and "non-aggressive". My problem is, with my luck we would run into the one bear in these mountains with PMS! I'm pretty sure that I am the equivalent of chocolate to a PMS'ing bear. I've been told if I ever meet a bear, I don't have to run faster than the bear, I just have to run faster than the one I'm with! The only thing bad about that is the commander can run laps around me so I would be pretty much toast! And yet love drove me onward, well, love and the fact that by this time we had missed the last shuttle. I was quite proud of myself when, a mere 15 minutes later, I had completed my epic adventure of walking 1/4 mile, on a wide, graveled, well-lit path, all the way back to my room. I was proud and my husband was happy. There's still no need for him to start planning our next outdoor quest, but I'm making baby steps.
Now, dear readers, those of you familiar with my writings know there is always more to the story and this is no different. I had come to the mountains to reconnect with my husband, to disconnect from life for just a little while. I came to step into relaxation and peace. I did not come to step out of my comfort zone, but I am glad that I did. It made me think and you all know how much I hate it when that happens. How many times has the Lord brought something to us that is out of our comfort zone and we run the other direction? How many adventures have we missed out on because of fear and trepidation? I have to say that I am taking that lesson home with me this weekend. It has been about more than just my marriage, it has been about me, and I guess that ultimately impacts my marriage.
So, my challenge to you this week, my friends, is to find you comfort zone, define the parameters and then jump right out of them! You may be surprised what you may learn about yourself, those around you and the Lord himself.
The next time someone says "there's bears in them woods" I can proudly reply, "maybe, but I'm not afraid!" At least, there was this one time...........
Till next time, I'll be here reconnecting, disconnecting and staring at nature........... from my window!
Soaked in His blessings,
Spokenfor
