PGR

Well, it's time to update on my awesome weekend. We met my college prayer group for a weekend of food, fun, and fellowship. We also prayed. A lot. I have spent the last couple of days reliving some of the best moments and trying to find the words to describe the blessing I find in these women (and their spouses, when they choose to crash our reunion).

We just celebrated our 10th PGR (prayer group retreat)! Our first one happened a few days before our college graduation and we've spent the weekend together every year since then. These women have prayed me through the darkest days of my life and have praised me through the happiest! I am constantly thanking God for giving me such a blessing as these 6 women.

I usually go alone. I leave Honey and the kids behind and this gives me a weekend all to myself. This year, Honey wanted to come along, so we packed up the kids and made the 5 hour trip. As we were getting ready to leave, I prepared myself for a sort of downer weekend. I was anticipating some kid responsibilities (Honey was great though and I didn't have to do much). But more than that, none of us has had that great of a year. Between PGRs life happens, and this year had not been a very joyous one. I didn't really feel like I had much in me to encourage these girls, and I knew they had been through so much that they, very likely, felt the same.

I was so very wrong! This was probably the best weekend we've had together. I think the reason it was so great was that we skipped the details. For the most part, we skipped the "this happened on this day and it was awful, and he's a jerk, and she's just plain mean, and it was just horrible." We didn't really try to relive our whole entire year in detail just so we could get some sympathy from the girls. Instead, we focused on the now. Where we are now, how God has worked in our hearts to get us there, and the lessons He's taught us along the way. It is so much more powerful to hear the details of the transformation God is accomplishing through the struggles than to hear the details about the struggles themselves! I left feeling encouraged that God is still in control. He is still working in the lives of those who love him. He is faithful!

I still remember, very vividly, the morning about 12 years ago when I stood in front of the sign up board analyzing the prayer groups that were forming and the times they were meeting. As I read the names of the girls who had signed the same list as me, I never dreamed in a million years the beautiful blessing God was showering on me. Thank you God for your perfect timing. You know me better than I know myself. How wonderful it is to place my heart in your hands and allow you to provide for my every need.