Importance Of Spiritual Life

My junior year at Black Forest Academy, the members of our school’s chapel band took a retreat to the Swiss Alps. We did not go there to ski, or sight see, rather to get away from it all and meditate on worship. Several of the activities we did involved music, team bonding, and “traditional” means of worship. What stood out to me was our time of silence. As our group split up and we went outdoors to be still, I remember sitting quietly on the hillside next to our Swiss Chalet. Aside from the occasional breeze and mooing of cows, the area was quiet. More than just quiet, it was still. Although I had this experience, I did not hold this retreat to the same standard. The differing standard had nothing to do with the geographical location of the …show more content…
I knew I had room to grow, but I felt that I was generally ascending towards something better. After the first spiritual discipline project, I felt excited about new possibilities for growth. And then, something happened. I cannot pinpoint what exactly, but there was just a dramatic decline. Maybe it was the mounting pressure from classes, or the sudden “reality” that I needed to figure out the rest of my life in less than three months, but my whole life felt like it was falling apart. There were days that were darker that I would have liked them to be, and I felt a genuine emptiness in my soul. After a couple of weeks of some serious thought and soul searching, the storms of life started to calm down a bit. As I made my way back into that steady routine, the retreat came. Knowing what I had been through in the past few weeks, I was not sure how I would handle the retreat. Would I be bitter at my maker for my circumstances? Would I simply break down spiritually and have a moment of “revival”? I tried to set aside any preconceived notions of what the retreat should look like, and simply went without expectations. At least if nothing happened, I could not be …show more content…
However, three distinct things stand out to me. Firstly, silence opens our ears to hear God. Without our personal distractions, we are far more receptive to what God is saying and doing. Secondly, we are filled with peace from God. In our quiet, God’s peace is made clear, and we experience a relief from stress. Thirdly, silence helps us focus. This extends to all areas of our life, but is definitely a benefit in our walk with God. Aside from being still and listening, if we are silent, we can focus on reading and writing in ways that glorify God. I believe that loving God through our mind is just as important as loving him with our heart and our hands. Why not capitalize on an environment that can aid in that