Transformations and Vacations

As I've been thinking about the nature and purpose of conferences and retreats, I've decided that they remind me of how our family vacations. My husband loves big, long camping trips packed with mountains to climb, lakes to canoe, fish to catch, boats to sail, history and geology to explore and new campgrounds to visit. My dream is really to park the camper on the shore of a lake and just sit and enjoy the view for a while. Not that we couldn't take a few hikes here and there, canoe around said lake or learn about a few dead guys and old rocks now and then, but sometimes I need a vacation that truly lets me get some rest and reconnect myself...to my brain, to my family, to my friends, to God.

Take, for instance, our little jaunt two summers ago to Glacier Park, Montana, a 3 week cross country trip where each day was jam-packed with things to do and places to go (lots of mountains, lakes, fish, boats, dead guys and old rocks!). It was an incredible time, no doubt about it! Yet last summer, we went down to the Smoky Mountains and spent three days by the side of a cool, inviting stream that danced over ancient boulders and pebbles. I could have stayed all summer, sitting in my camp chair, reading my books, listening to the creek and my kids playing in it. And when I commented how much I had enjoyed this vacation, my husband said, "It was good, but I would have liked to have done a little more, as long as we were there, you know?"

I do know, and I do understand and admire his quest for adventure and knowledge... and most of the time I'm game to follow his lead. But, boy, sometimes I just need to...well...retreat...to get some quality R&R and renew and refresh my body, mind and soul...without the accompanying busyness that rules my daily life.

So in my head there is a big difference between a conference and a retreat. Seems to me that a conference is more educational in nature while a retreat is more relational. Now, that's not to say that you can't have some great networking and friendship building experiences at a conference or that you can't "learn" anything while on retreat. I think you can and you do. But overall, a conference feels more formal and practical while a retreat is really a break from the constant busyness of the world to give time for God to transform your heart, soul and mind.

I was reminded again this week how much I do enjoy the conference experience, how exciting it can be to get your brain learning new things and be in the company of other individuals that share your passion for the conference content. Yet I love retreats, too. So, just like in other areas of your life, I think it's all about balance...finding it and keeping it...and getting it to all work together for the greater good.

"There is a season for everything and a time for every purpose under Heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1)