Part 1 - Opening Your Heart
"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:28-29
"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." - Zephaniah 3:17
Insight
The year behind us likely held a mixture of joys and struggles, victories and disappointments, moments of clarity and seasons of confusion. Before we can properly reflect on where we've been or envision where we're going, we need to prepare our hearts to receive whatever God wants to show us.
Preparation isn't about getting our act together before we meet with God—it's about coming as we are, with all our messiness and questions, and creating space for His presence. Think of it like preparing a garden bed. We're not manufacturing the growth; we're simply removing the rocks and weeds that might hinder it.
This past year, you've carried burdens that were never meant to be yours alone. You've shouldered pressures, fought battles in your own strength, and perhaps felt the weight of trying to control outcomes that were always beyond your grasp. The beautiful invitation of preparation is to set these burdens down, even if just for this time of retreat.
God doesn't need you to be impressive or have it all figured out. He's not waiting for you to clean up your spiritual act before He'll show up. In fact, He's most present in our weakness, most active in our surrender, most loving in our failure. The God who "rejoices over you with singing" isn't waiting for a better version of you—He's delighting in you right now.
As you prepare your heart for this time of reflection and vision-casting, remember that you're not approaching a demanding taskmaster or a distant deity. You're coming to the One who knows you completely and loves you unconditionally. He's already been moving in your life this past year, often in ways you haven't even noticed yet. He's already preparing good things for the year ahead, inviting you to participate in His ongoing work of love and redemption in your life and through your life.
Let your preparation be less about spiritual performance and more about spiritual posture—open hands, soft heart, quiet spirit. Let it be about releasing the need to impress or achieve, and instead embracing the invitation to simply be loved and known. The pressure is off. God's got this, and He's got you.
Journaling Questions
What burdens, pressures, or need for control have you been carrying this year that you sense God inviting you to set down during this retreat?
In what ways have you tried to manage your spiritual life through performance or achievement rather than resting in God's love?
What fears or expectations do you have about spending this focused time with God, and how might you surrender those to Him?
How has God shown up in unexpected ways this year when you weren't trying to impress Him or earn His love?
What would it look like to approach this retreat time with the posture of a beloved child rather than a spiritual performer?