In my dream world, I would go on at least two spiritual retreats every single year. I love retreats. I love getting away. I love being out in nature. I love sitting cross-legged on the floor in a circle with other women. I love hearing good speakers. I love rooming with my friends and talking late into the night like we did back in college. I love the road trip to and from, the inevitable laughter, and the shared experience that enriches new and old relationships as we move forward together. So I am signing up for a fall retreat with women from my amazing moms group at church and women from churches all over the pacific northwest including some sisters from Canada. My soul is breathing a huge sigh of oh-yeah-i-forgot-i-need-this-in-my-life, and I'm already looking forward to it. Just from the website I can tell that it's going to be good. I've been wanting to get involved with REST (real escape from sexual trafficking), so the fact that there's a breakout session on advocating for victims of abuse just feels like I'm meant to go and listen and learn. And as I clicked down a rabbit hole of links, I found this great article on forgiveness, and it helped me remember what I believe about forgiveness, repentance and reconciliation. I'm a near eternal optimist (no matter how hard I try not to be), so I'm a huge sucker for repentance and reconciliation. I'm pretty sure I'll long for it until I get it in all the broken places of my life. And I'd like it this side of heaven if at all possible. Anyway, this article squares with what I think is both excellent theology and psychology (based on about half of a divinity degree and half a counseling degree, so feel free to take that with a huge grain of salt). May these words speak love to your soul like they do to mine.
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