Finding Joy in the Journey

 

            This past Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking at a women’s retreat, marking my first speaking engagement of 2023. I’ve shared with this group three times before, and the ladies have come to be friends I care about deeply and enjoy keeping up with throughout the year, through social media and email. It’s been fun to watch them grow and change in their faith and in life, too.

            This year, Ryan wasn’t able to go with me, which made my heart sad. Because we don’t have children, we lost sight of the timing of this retreat in relation to our local spring breaks, and by the time we asked about a spot for Lexi to be boarded for the day, the place was full. The weather forecast wasn’t great either, so we wanted to make sure Ryan could have an eye on the roof, just in case of a leak. So he stayed home, and I went alone. (The ladies missed him so much!)

            This retreat is always held at our beloved Lake Webster, where Ryan’s family has a cottage, so it was a delight to say hello to it for the day. (It was cold and rainy there, but that lake always brings back great memories of pivotal moments with the Lord.

            This year, the theme was “Finding Joy in Your Journey,” and as usual, I learned so much and found deep conviction in the message as I prepared it. The Lord most certainly used this theme to do a work in my own heart, and I prayed hard that the depth of those lessons would translate as I shared the messages.

            I did have a speaker-first this weekend! The sound system in the venue was broken, so I didn’t have a microphone. I had to try to ration my voice but yell as much as possible to be heard in the back.

            I’m grateful for this group and their trust in my ability to prepare sessions for them. I’m grateful for the friendships that have formed and grown over the years I’ve shared. I’m grateful for the lessons God has taught my own heart as I’ve prepared.

        And I'm grateful the worst of the wind held off until I got BACK in the car to come home. This was when I shut the door behind me!