Part 9: Reflection

Self-Paced Retreats

This is the final part of our Let the Thirsty Come retreat series, which highlights different aspects of spending extended quality time with God.

What makes a time of reflection fruitful? The retreat series began with thoughts from the parable of the prodigal son. In this final devotional of the series, Josh returns to that story to set the tone for our time of reflection — and provide encouragement to keep our eyes on God.

Retreat Activities

This retreat consists of three parts: looking back, looking up, and looking forward. Each section may take you 30 to 60 minutes to complete. Because this is one of the most reflective retreats we do, it is important to include sufficient time for breaks and rest. Otherwise, the time can become overly introspective or overly task-oriented. 

Looking Back

In this section, you will reflect over the past year, or over whatever timeframe is most helpful to you. In your reflection, remember to intentionally look to Jesus, prayerfully asking that he would give you eyes to see his active involvement all along. Try not to take more than 60 to 90 minutes on this section. Otherwise, you may not have enough time for looking to God and meditating on his Word, which is an absolutely vital step in this retreat.

Transition Activity (choose one)

Open in prayer – Before you jump into the time of reflection, spend a few minutes looking to Jesus, asking God to guide your time and make it fruitful.

Sing a couple songs – Choose one to three songs that help you set your eyes on God and hope in him. Sing these out loud with a thankful heart.

Go for a short walk – Take a few minutes to walk outside and prepare your heart to engage with Jesus. This can be a time of stillness before the Lord, or a time of prayer.

Main Activity (choose one)

All of the following activities help you reflect over the past year. Choose one that you think will be most helpful or meaningful to you personally. If you are not sure which activity would be best for you, our general recommendation is to try the Personal Timeline.

Personal Timeline – This activity is more concrete, focusing especially on the chronology of what has happened over the last year and how that has impacted you.

Themes of the Year – This activity focuses on the big picture and uses keywords or descriptors to explore how the year was. Because of this, it is slightly more abstract than the other activities.

Life Inventory – This activity helps you process how you have been doing in many different aspects of life. It can be helpful for considering facets of your life not always at the forefront of your mind.

Looking Up

In any time of reflection, the most important component is to look to Jesus. Use this time to take your reflections to the Lord and meditate on what he would say to you through his Word.

Transition Activity (optional)

Ideas for Rest – Take a short break before the next main activity.

Main Activity

Scripture Meditation – Use one of the Scripture meditation activities introduced in previous retreats (Sitting with a Text, Walking with a Text, Time with a Text, Journaling with a Text, or Imagining with a Text). While we provide potential scriptures to meditate on, feel free to choose a different passage if there is a specific theme or verse on your mind.

Possible passages for meditation:

  • 1 Peter 1:3-9 – A living hope
  • Hebrews 12:1-3 – Fix our eyes on Jesus
  • Isaiah 41:10 – Fear not, for I am with you 
  • Revelation 21:1-4 – He will dwell with them, and they will be his people 
  • Matthew 28:18-20 – Go and make disciples of all nations
  • Psalm 139:1-14 – Lord, you have searched me and known me

Looking Forward

Transition Activity (optional)

Ideas for Rest – Take a short break before the next main activity.

Main Activity (optional, choose one)

As we look back and look to Jesus, it can be very helpful to write or make something in order to express and remember what God has done. This also helps us to remember and walk forward in the realities that God has been teaching us.

Prayer Collage – Like the people of Israel erecting a stone monument, it can sometimes be very helpful to make something in order to remember what God has done, or in order to express our prayers to the Lord in a more concrete way.

Closing Liturgy – Write a short liturgy that expresses something that you want to hold onto from this past year and how you have seen God work.

Closing Activities (optional)

Closing prayer – As you wrap up this retreat time, what is your biggest desire and/or need as you walk into the coming days? Take some unhurried time to talk to God about this, entrusting your hopes and needs to him. Close your time of prayer, speaking to God about how you desire to walk forward with him as your good Father and faithful Savior.

Liturgy of the Month – “New Year”, from The Valley of Vision

Example Retreats

All of the following retreat possibilities are suggestions – change them and customize them with the activities you’re most interested in.

Short Retreat, Part 1

Short Retreat, Part 2

  • Commit the time to the Lord with a short prayer
  • Briefly review the reflection activity from your previous session
  • Walking with a Text
  • Journal for a few minutes
  • Prayer Collage
  • Closing prayer

Two to Three-hour Retreat

Tips and Reminders

Perhaps more than in any other type of retreat, we need to be aware of and watch our motives and attitudes in a year-end reflection. As we reflect on what has been, the goal is NOT to look for how much we have accomplished or assess whether or not we have done enough. The goal is to look to Jesus as we reflect on what has been. This may include things like:

  • Asking God and looking for how he has been at work over the last year. How has he been guiding, providing, growing us, answering prayer, or bringing transformation?
  • Giving thanks for the ways that we see God’s provision or his work.
  • Confessing when we see ways we have strayed from our shepherd
  • Honestly laying before the Lord any difficult emotions we still have regarding things that happened over the last year.
  • Remembering any ways God has been showing us more of who he is. Dwelling on key truths or passages of Scripture that have been especially impactful.
  • Resting in the goodness and power of God over all that has been and will be. And resting in the love and work of Jesus in any sin and failure we see.

As we look forward to the coming year, our desire for this spiritual retreat is NOT to make goals or resolutions – while goals can be helpful, too often this focuses us on “what I can accomplish this year through my strength.” Rather, the goal is to depend deeply on Jesus and fix our eyes on our good Shepherd as we walk into the unknown before us. This may include things like:

  • Expressing our hopes and longings for the coming year to God in prayer.
  • Boldly asking for the specific grace, strength, and provision needed to walk into the coming year following our good Shepherd.
  • Casting our anxieties and cares on the Lord.
  • Remembering the promises of God specific to what I may face this year.
  • Thanking God and resting in who he is.
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