Getting Away

Apr 30, 2013 by Jim and Jerolyn Bogear

In the past couple of weeks, Jerolyn and I both were privileged to get away with a friend on separate two-night trips.

This week I was able to unplug for about 48 hours. I literally had to hike to get to a point on the mountain to find cell service. This was a good thing…one I exercised a bit by already being about 4,000 feet above sea level and then hiking. Secondly, it was good to disconnect from technological gadgets.

I was camping. Now, I grew up camping, and loved it. But my version typically these days of camping is a lower level hotel. (smile) I must confess, this honestly was a great time away. I was with one other friend, and it deepened our relationship, but also had plenty of alone time to reflect, listen, and connect in a deeper way with my Heavenly Father.

If it is all about relationships, then we need to develop them. As a person of faith, I need to most develop my relationship with God, my Heavenly Father. I probably don’t do it enough, but love the times when I pull away from busy things in life to spend time with Him. I also know I need some down time. Now I love being busy and “doing something” for most of my life. Jerolyn is quite the opposite, and recharges by being alone. I am learning from my wife. Good marriage tip here guys that has nothing to do with this blog.  Learn from your wife all the time. I am learning to have more of that alone time to reconnect.

Making this trip with my friend was terrific. Personally, I can only stand to be completely alone for a short time. We laughed and talked and sat around a fire. We did a little work of gathering firewood, and dragging the dirt road from the winter washout. But did I mention very LITTLE work? We even shot guns, which was probably the most fun we both had, as he has a nice arsenal of guns to shoot. No, we did not hunt, although we wish we had done so, but simply fired at targets.

But the sitting around the fire, talking, and even several moments of silence, were probably the best times we had. We would ask questions, press into one another’s life seeking to help one another, grow ourselves to become all God designed and desires, as well as, solve the world’s problems…we did not accomplish the latter.

4 quick thoughts about scheduling these times:

1. It is a must in this day and age. We all need to take time to find the margins, or spaces in our lives to live healthy, rejuvenate, and re-focus.
2. If it is all about relationships and our priority relationship is a spiritual one, what ways and times are we re-connecting with God? These times are critically important for our spiritual and emotional health.
3. Being able to invest in a relationship with a friend is invaluable. Times like these develop relationships in deeper ways than the quick meal, text or phone call.
4. Unplugging is a must. Some of you do this so much better than I. Learn to unplug for a few hours, a day, or even a few days to plug back in to what is most important…relationships.

~Jim