Last weekend, I was blessed to spend the weekend, in the mountains of Boone, NC with a leadership group from church but more importantly - with my Father. He invited us there. He waited for us there. He planned - Such a time as THIS, just for us. First, let me give you the back story, so you can sit in the full impact of the weekend with me..... This leadership group, are marriage leaders - all of us, as married couples have led Bible Studies on marriage. This weekend was to grow and learn as leaders and as married couples. This had been planned for months. About a month away from our trip, my gorgeous man's employer instituted MANDATORY OVERTIME for the entire month of September. What? Wait? The entire month? Even the weekend we have had planned for months? Yep - even the weekend that we both had greatly anticipated. To say I was upset is an understatement. Took me a while to simmer, but then I just resigned myself to staying home and missing the experience. I mean come on - why in the world would I go to a marriage retreat WITHOUT MY MAN?! Enter my Truth-Tellers. They won't let me get away with anything and speak nothing but truth into my life (I have told you before that you need to surround yourself with folks like this)! "Leeandra, this retreat is for leaders, you will receive a blessing and be loved on, now come on!" I believe a couple of them would have hog tied me and thrown me in the bed of a truck and hauled my rear up the mountain. I had decided to go, but still - I didn't want to. I'd be going without half of my body! We left on a Friday and the Thursday before was a battle the ENTIRE day - my enemy didn't want me to go either! He wanted me to stay home and feel sorry for myself and be grouchy and pitiful. It was brutal! So the crowd of us along with our Pastor and his bride traveled up the mountain. The beauty - my goodness. I had a sadness about me, but my Father loved on me and met me there. He used others to wrap me up in hugs and prayers. We shared. We learned. We grew. We cried. We worshiped. We prayed. We had quiet alone time with our Father. It was one of the most Spirit filled times I have ever experienced. I believe that we got a tiny glimpse of what Heaven will be like. As I sit here and write, it smacks me in the face, that what was going to keep me from this amazing experience was my own pride! Gosh. Haven't I learned my lesson yet? To think about what I would have missed out on makes me sad. Thank you, Father for pursuing me and calling me to Yourself! There is so much to tell you about the weekend, I couldn't possibly fit it all here! We ate - A WHOLE BUNCH! We even had Tacos! YAY! Thank you, Lord for tacos! I was also introduced to dry shampoo!! Where has this been all my life? This changes things!
It is scary to be open and vulnerable with others - very scary - tummy hurting scary. The whole lot of us were open and vulnerable with one another - we became a closer family on that mountain. My favorite part was talking about Grace and how God changes us and how He uses us - the broken and foolish things of the world to accomplish His great plan. How - had we not walked the paths that we have.....would we be the God-fearing folks we are today? Would I be a woman on fire for her Lord had I not walked the path of destruction that I did? All of these folks are just like me - broken and foolish, yet God is growing us and using us! Praise His Holy Name!!!
I love these humans! I love doing life with them! Thank You, Father for calling us to the mountain and meeting us there!
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