Stepping into silence –

This year I attended my first Silent Retreat.

Was I anxious? Yes.
Was I nervous? Absolutely.
Did I consider not going? More than once.

The idea of spending time in silence with over 100 women—most of whom I didn’t know—felt intimidating. No communication with the outside world? What if my family needed me? I wondered what it would really be like. What is a silent retreat? Would the quiet feel awkward? Would God actually speak to me?

But I went.

And what I discovered was something beautiful.

In the quiet, without the normal noise of life, my heart slowed down. My thoughts settled. I began to realize how rarely I truly pause long enough to listen—to God, and even to my own heart.

Sometimes we look for God in the loud, the busy, and the obvious. But often He meets us in the stillness.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

This retreat reminded me that stillness isn’t empty—it’s sacred space where God can gently speak, restore, and remind us that we are never alone.

I almost didn’t go.

But I’m so thankful I said yes to the silence.

And here’s what my day and a half looked like – The first evening we gathered. We talked. We worshiped. We listened. We had little gifts at our seats. Then the room went quiet. We left. We went to our room. And now what? For a few minutes I felt alone. I was scared. I missed my family. I brought all my food but I wasn’t hungry. So I took in the view and I looked through everything we had been given.

And then I got to work. I read. I journaled. l reflected. I listened. I thought. And most importantly, I prayed. It was awesome reading through all the scriptures provided. I made notes and dug into each one.

And the next morning? I got up early and walked quite a ways to see the sunrise. Wow. I was so glad I did.

And then we entered day 2 by dumping our jars at Jesus feet. We sat in silence, worshiping and listening. And then we left again. In silence. Honestly, I have never experienced anything like this. It was very humbling. Then back to my room for more reading, praying and listening. I did make sure I could check everything off the list which included finding some seashells. I even found a ‘selfie spot’.

And then we gathered on the last day and the silence was broken! Wow. Tears flowed. Worship was loud. New friends had been made. Such a great time and I will definitely make this an annual event.

If you have never attended a Silent Retreat and have the opportunity, DO IT. You won’t be disappointed. You can even coordinate one of your own with your church as I have seen several options. But even so, think about taking the time each day to sit in silence with God. When it’s quiet, you hear differently. You think differntly. You see differently. Here’s a simple prayer for you –

Lord, help me to slow down and be still before You.
Quiet the noise in my mind and the busyness in my life.
Teach me to listen for Your voice, even in the silence.
Remind me that I don’t have to strive to find You—You are already near.
Give me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and trust where You are leading me.

Amen.

In all that you do, don’t ever underestimate what God can do in the stillness. 🫶🏼