February 21-23, 2025 Respite Retreat Summary
Author: Rich Packard
February 24, 2025
We decided to hold the retreat near Winter Park instead of
Estes as it provided our guests with a better wintertime atmosphere a ski town
affords. The weather certainly cooperated as Winter Park received 89
inches of snow in the 10 days prior to the start of the retreat, then brilliant
sunny bluebird skies replaced the clouds as the storms passed and our guests
arrived.
Two couples, four hurting people, wanting to better
understand their anguish and see what Jesus has to say about their unintended
journey. A former pastor of ours shared that we all act differently when
there’s Hope. It’s true, Hope empowers us to grieve differently than
others amidst immense suffering. Yet, the Hope and promises we have in
Jesus doesn’t alleviate the pain completely. The pain remains, but
healing does happen. We watched as these two couples developed an immediate
bond to one another. Sometimes, it is good to be near others on a similar
journey. During their free time on Saturday, both couples took us up on
our offer to treat them to the Winter Park Gondola where they could go up to
mid-mountain and enjoy 360-degree views of this winter wonderland. One of
the couples on their way to the gondola competed with a moose for a parking
spot which neither of them found in the end.
Tears, laughter and encouragement framed our time
together. Tears for the loss of their sons interrupted by laughter as
they remembered sweet times and cherished memories. All this while being
encouraged by Jesus’s own words. The Hope we have in Christ is certainly
a guarantee for the future as that’s the promise. As Sarah Young says,
“The nature of hope is that it refers to something in the future, something not
yet.” Yes, Hope is for the future, but it is also for the present and
that’s a game changer as the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is
available to us now. Falling into Christ’s arms open wide and allowing
Him to absorb our deep hurt creates margin in our own hearts that we can now
use for our marriages. That’s the message of the weekend in its simplest
form and one the Holy Spirit empowered us to communicate through your prayers.
David Crowder has a song entitled “Somebody Prayed” and
that’s exactly what happened, so thank you for praying.
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