A Weekend of Change

       

                                               The views right behind our cabin. Gorgeous
        

            If you had asked me a week ago why I was going on the FCA college advance retreat I would have said because our FCA leader Pat Ford pushed it on us, and I’m not lying, he did. Now that I have gone and come back, I realize it was for good reason. It truly was a life-changing experience not just for me but for many of the athletes that went on that trip.
         The day I left I was so caught up in my morning workout and school work and dealing with a lot of other things that I didn’t even really realize what I was about to get into. The 7 hour bus ride didn’t help much either. When we got there it was already time for the first praise and worship and chapel experience. By the end of that night, I realized why I had gone on that retreat and why God had put me in that position.
         We often times lose sight of what is really important. We get caught up in school, sports, jobs, friends, family and so much more that we don’t realize sometimes we just need a break. The first few seconds of the trip I was worried about where the phone charging outlets would be and why I only got two bars and not all four. This quickly changed when I realized that I wasn’t there so I could text my friends or call people, I was there to not only grow in my relationship with God but also to get away and realize what is important.
          If I wrote about this whole trip, it would take up pages but what I really realized is that we can’t really control what is going to happen. It may seem like we can, but there is a “game plan” for us. There are so many lessons I learned from this weekend. Scott Crenshaw was the speaker and he was absolutely perfect for college students. He knew how to make us laugh and feel something but he also knew how to get our minds working and really to think about where we stand in our faith.
         The main things that I got out of the trip were defining my relationships with God and with other people. We often try to control every little detail even though that is all mapped out for us.Second,  I learned that not just in the morning or at night but all throughout the day we must give thanks. A life given will never amount to our 10 minutes of daily prayer, it has to be more than that. Third, I learned that challenges were put in our life to make us and to shake us. This was one of my favorite things Scott had said. We all deal with challenges in life and sometimes we might think it’s a little too much, but really, it’s just enough to get us on track and realize what’s important.