[Camino]: Annual Three-Day Self-Guided Retreat for Reflection, Re-imagination, and Rest
In our spiritual journey, wherever we begin, stand, or aim to go, God calls us to experience Him through abiding, aligning, and actualizing in His love. These cycles of spiritual life take root in our lives by embracing these three focal disciplines:
Presence: This embodies abiding, highlighting the importance of spending time with God and resting securely in His love. Engage in pausing, praying, embracing His peace, feeling protected, and persevering in His presence.
Perspective: This involves aligning by shedding the false self and rediscovering our true self through God's values. It leads to surrendering to His will by undergoing a process of refinement, prioritizing, and positioning ourselves to become a new pathfinder for His purpose.
Peacemaking: This involves actualizing God's purpose by fostering reconciliation and re-establishing peace (shalom) on earth. It means responding to the call to practice God's will—justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8)—and becoming the person He intended us to be: a shalom-maker (children of God, Matt. 5:9). Pursue, participate, practice, and make progress as we humbly journey with God toward His divine purpose.
With these in mind, I invite you into a three-day self-guided retreat of reflection, reimagination, and rest:
Day 1: Reflection Examen:
As we step into the new year, take this time to reflect on your journey and recognize God's presence last year in moments of joy, struggle, and everything in between. Follow these specific, self-guided steps for your examen:
Create a Sacred Space: Choose a quiet location where you can be undisturbed. Enhance the atmosphere by lighting a candle or playing gentle music to foster tranquility. Sit comfortably and take several deep breaths to calm your spirit. As you breathe in, invite God's presence into this sacred moment, feeling a sense of peace and readiness for reflection.
Reflect on the Past Year: Gently close your eyes and breathe deeply, allowing your mind to journey through last year's events. As memories surface, acknowledge moments where you experienced God's presence, whether in times of joy, trials, or everyday life. Notice the emotions you felt during these experiences without judgment. Let each memory arise naturally, trusting that what needs to surface will come. Ask God to help you see where grace appeared, even in unexpected places. Take your time with this gentle noticing, allowing the Spirit to guide your remembering.
Name What Needs Release: Now bring your attention to what feels heavy or unfinished from this past year. Consider the burdens you've carried, the regrets that linger, or the unresolved emotions that still pull at your heart. Take time to name these specifically, perhaps writing them down as they come to you. Be honest and tender with yourself in this naming. This isn't about judgment but about recognizing what you're ready to set down. As you write or name each one, pause and acknowledge its weight, its story, and why it matters.
Practice the Release: With what you've named before you, take several slow, deep breaths. On each exhale, consciously offer one burden, one regret, one unresolved emotion to God. Feel yourself physically letting go with each breath out. Trust in God's wisdom and grace to hold what you cannot carry any longer. This release is not forgetting but rather choosing not to let these things define your journey forward. Rest in the freedom that comes from setting down what was never yours to carry alone.
Practice Gratitude: Take this moment to express gratitude for how God showed up last year. Reflect on the blessings and lessons, both big and small, that have contributed to your spiritual growth. Acknowledge how these experiences have shaped you and express gratitude for the insights they have given you.
Seek Ongoing Support: Plan regular check-ins with yourself and God to continue this journey of reflection and release. Consider who you might invite into your life to keep you accountable, encouraged, and challenged, fostering a supportive community that shares in your reflections and growth.
Rest: Conclude your reflection with a period of rest. Find a comfortable position and allow your body and mind to relax completely. In this restful state, let go of any remaining tension or stress, trusting in God's presence to rejuvenate your spirit. Embrace the stillness as a sacred gift, allowing it to restore and prepare you for the journey ahead.
Day 2: Reimagination Prayer Exercise:
Engage in this contemplative prayer exercise to explore your deepest longings and desires in the presence of Jesus and integrate them into a journey of reimagination.
Create Your Sacred Space: Choose a quiet, comfortable location free from distractions. Light a candle or play gentle music to establish a peaceful atmosphere. Take deep breaths to center yourself and invite God's presence into your reimagination process.
Present Your Longings: With your eyes closed, breathe deeply and identify your sincere longings, desires, and hopes for the new year. As each one surfaces, envision placing it gently on a table before Jesus. Allow yourself to be completely open and honest about what you truly seek. Don't judge or filter. Simply present what is in your heart, trusting that this is a safe place to lay everything before Him.
Invite Jesus to the Table: In your imagination, invite Jesus to share His own hopes for you on this same table. Watch what He offers in response to your invitation. Notice whether what He places there surprises, comforts, or challenges you. This is His gentle offering, given because you asked, revealing what He sees as possible in your life when you're willing to listen.
Discern and Dialogue: Now look at what rests on the table together. Notice where your longings and His hopes align. These matches often reveal a clear path forward, places where your heart and His beat together. For the desires that don't match, this is where the real conversation begins. Talk openly with Jesus about your questions, your resistance, or your excitement. Ask Him to help you discern which longings arise from fear and which from love, which will lead you toward greater freedom and which might keep you bound. Listen to His perspective, but remember that He honors your free will to choose. Trust that clarity will emerge in this honest dialogue.
Capture Your Vision: Write down the key insights, images, or words that arose during your conversation with Jesus. Let your thoughts flow freely as you capture the essence of what you've discovered. These notes become a tangible reminder of this sacred encounter and the vision that emerged from it.
Commit to Action: Identify one or two small, concrete steps you can take in the coming days to move toward the desires and hopes you've clarified. Write them down as expressions of your commitment to the path you and Jesus have envisioned together. Keep them simple and doable, knowing that faithfulness in small things opens the way forward.
Rest in Assurance: Conclude this exercise by resting in the knowledge that your future is held in divine love and wisdom. Let peace settle over you, the kind of peace that comes from knowing you are not walking this path alone. Embrace the promise and potential that await you in this journey of reimagination and sacred connection.
Day 3: Reflective Sharing and Deepening Relationships
Today offers a beautiful opportunity to give what you've received. Over the past two days, you've engaged in deep reflection and prayerful discernment. Now you're invited to offer this same gift to someone else by becoming a compassionate listener and gentle guide in their own moment of reflection.
Prepare Your Heart and Mind: Begin by taking a few deep breaths to center yourself. Approach your upcoming conversation not as someone who needs to be heard, but as someone ready to truly listen. You're offering sacred space for another person to process their year and their hopes. This is an act of service and love.
Choose and Reach Out: Think of someone in your life who might benefit from this kind of reflective conversation. Perhaps someone who seems weary from the past year, or someone navigating transition, or simply a friend you'd like to bless. Invite them to meet you in a comfortable space where you both can talk without distractions. Let them know you'd love to hear about their year and what they're hoping for ahead.
Guide Them Gently: When you meet, begin by inviting them to share their reflections on the past year. You might ask open questions like: What moments stand out to you? Where did you experience joy or struggle? What are you carrying into this new year? If the conversation flows naturally, gently invite them to consider their hopes and dreams for what's ahead. Remember, they haven't done the structured retreat you've done, so they're processing in real time with your loving presence as their container.
Listen as a Gift: Give your full attention as they speak. Your listening is the gift you're offering today. Resist any urges to interrupt, fix, or offer advice unless they specifically ask. Simply be present and supportive. Let silence have space. Let their thoughts unfold at their own pace.
Share Only if Invited: If your conversation partner asks about your own reflections or seems genuinely curious about your process, then share what you've discovered over the past two days. Keep it concise and authentic, focusing on what might be most meaningful for them to hear. But remember, this day is primarily about serving them through your presence and attention.
Embrace What Emerges: If the conversation opens the door to ongoing dialogue, welcome it with gratitude. Consider how you might continue walking alongside this person, whether through regular check-ins or deeper spiritual friendship. These connections often become sources of mutual encouragement and growth.
Reflect with Gratitude: After your meeting, take a moment to reflect on what it felt like to offer this gift of listening. Notice what you learned through serving someone else in this way. Express gratitude for the opportunity to be present to another person's sacred story.
Remember, today (day 3) is about connecting and serving. Whether you listen, share a little, or simply enjoy being present with another person, you're participating in the beautiful work of walking alongside someone else on their journey.
