faith unfaded

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to the Mount of Transfiguration for six days as He revealed His glorified self to them alone.

They were chosen. It wasn’t random; He knew they hungered for Him.

I had my own mountaintop revelation with the Lord during an ACTS retreat this past weekend. An ACTS retreat is a three-day, three-night Catholic lay retreat in which talks and activities center on the four components of the acronym:

Adoration – the call by, acceptance of, and response to God
Community – the love and caring of each other
Theology – the study of God through scripture and the Catholic Faith
Service – to God and his people.

Further details are to be experienced in person. It’s kind of like Fight Club. The first rule about your ACTS retreat is that you don’t talk about your ACTS retreat!

But I can tell you what I gained from this mountaintop experience in my own life and the changes I need to make moving forward.

Adoration: Despite making my own schedule, I’m still entirely too busy. I find myself in Martha mode even when I think I’m resting at the feet of Jesus. When Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, she was not multitasking. She was waiting and listening and learning. I will commit to more quiet time with the Lord.

Community: I belong to a new community of believers now. Women from my own retreat, those who previously attended ACTS retreats. It is like school alumni, forever being bonded by a shared experience, even if the times were different. I will forever be connected to the ACTS community.

Theology: I tell people often that I grew up in a Baptist church, attending a Catholic school, later marrying an evangelical preacher. There is one God. I don’t get bogged down in religion. I was not out of place at a Catholic retreat and hungered for all I could learn. One revelation I received from the Lord was sobering: I have learned how to keep his yoke on me almost always. I tend to forget that I’m not the lead horse, though. I must pause and wait on the Lord before every action and reaction.

Service: I believe I’ve always had a servant’s heart and spend a great deal of time in service to others. But I sometimes keep a tally count, much like I did when I “caught my students being good”. The reward would be extra recess or a popsicle day, but it was earned and I kept track. Service to the Lord should be as natural as breathing and it keeps no record. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) I saw selfless service modeled this weekend. I will give without record and love without failing.

My mountaintop experience with the Lord did not transform Jesus. It transformed me.