A Declaration for the Year to Come
As we near the end of this retreat experience, chances are good, a host of emotions have made an appearance - joy mixed with disappointment, awe alongside angst, regrets amid hopefulness, and confusion with bits of contentment and clarity mixed together. Taking a step back and reflecting on the condition of our hearts and souls awoke feelings and experiences that have remained dormant, overlooked, or disregarded. There was growth worth celebrating and reminders of God's faithfulness, circumstances whose impact would've been shortchanged if we didn't slow long enough to notice. This time of reflection perhaps brought to the surface blind spots and patterns that keep us stuck in a cycle.
We shouldn't ignore these promptings and nudges, but pay close attention - the Holy Spirit challenges and convicts not to condemn us but to encourage, so we don't lose sight of who God created us to be. Awareness and articulation are the first steps in aligning our hearts in a direction that produces the transformation we desire. After pinpointing God's work within our hearts, we must continually keep it before us. Change occurs when we keep God's wisdom in view and abide in Him. The opportunity to be at our best, individually and as a community of believers, happens daily. Our best gets formed not in the past but by displaying faith in the present moment with an eye to the future. Our past faith is not sufficient for the weight of our future. The future is uncertain, but we have a say in responding to what comes our way. There are opportunities ahead of us awaiting our obedience. Recognizing these opportunities requires stability and perspective, which only come through staying connected to Christ.
If you've engaged with the personal retreat in the past, it's at this point where you'd expect questions to help you choose your One Word for 2023, but we've intentionally left them off. My One Word is a tool in our spiritual formation, a tangible way to seek God in our daily lives and abide in Him. Choosing a single word for 2023 provides us with a way to focus and a lens to notice God working on our hearts and character while viewing and responding to our circumstances differently. It's not a promise to be better but a perspective that encourages us to become.
The process of picking a One Word is easy, but walking through this experience is essential, and that's why this year, we want to intentionally slow down in choosing our words. As a church family, in January, we will go through the MOW discovery process together, one step at a time. Doing so will prepare us for the journey ahead and allow us to step into the future more confidently. If you already have your Word for next year, we encourage you not to rush past this exercise - it will help you better articulate why you choose it and reorient your focus. We encourage everyone to utilize the retreat’s final section to consider what God is stirring in their hearts heading into 2023.
Read the verse below twice, sit with it in silence, meditate on its truths, circle words or phrases that speak to you. Then, try to rewrite it in your own words.
John 15:4-5 (New International Version)
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Spend some time reflecting on the following questions:
How would you describe what God is awakening within your heart as you head into a new year?
Close your retreat by writing out a prayer to God. Express your hopes and dreams for the year to come, but be willing to lay down 2023 at His feet and let His will be done.
To take a next step with the Personal Retreat, invite others who want the best for you into the conversation. Share your insight with someone else. Our walks are intensely personal, but God never intended them to be strictly individual. Transformation requires a community. We hope spending this week of reflection was a rewarding experience and that God spoke to your heart. We hope and pray that this experience serves as a finish line and starting point. Finished things are usable things, and by closing the chapter of this past year with prayer and reflection, you can leverage the insight gained for future faith and head into 2023 encouraged to be courageous in your faith.