Spring Retreat Reflection

I came back from the FiCS spring retreat two days ago. It was a very edifying experience, especially since I was asked to be a facilitator. Having just become Christian three years ago and coming to FiCS for less than a year, I was surprised, since I didn’t believe myself experienced enough. However, as Deacon Chinsan says, that excuse is more about me than about what God can do through me, so if I had made any insightful remarks or asked any convicting questions to my small group, it is because God has given me a curious mind and a drive to know the truth.

I spent a lot of time worrying about the topics to cover, thinking about what to pray for (I have a very bad short term memory), and trying to understand the passages. After Pastor Ryan’s messages, I began to see everything in a new light. The Bible is not about us , but about God . We are all powerless in front of His majesty, and all that He wills is to His glory. The theme of Soli Deo Gloria (to the Glory of God alone) is very humbling; what glorified God (what displayed His attributes) best was His work on the cross. It showed the greatness of His love, the extent to which He suffered undeserved humiliations, the humbleness with which He followed the Father’s Will, and the sovereignty of God, the great control that He has over the world.

What I came out of the experience was a renewed sense of God’s majesty, and a recognition of how He served His disciples, the act of which serves as a model for us to follow as we engage our brothers and sisters in our daily intercourse. Washing each other’s feet is a metaphor for how we should humble ourselves and offer to help each other. By forgetting ourselves, we can love others the way Christ loved us, which is an infinitely more powerful action than loving others as we love ourselves, for Jesus’s love was flawless in its selflessness, sacrifice, and unconditionality.

I thank God for great small group members, for their support, and for their contributions to the discussion. It seemed that we came up with many more questions than we can answer. I believe and hope that God will eventually reveal to us answers, so that we can glorify Him (i.e., make His attributes known), in this case, for His wisdom.