If you’ve been following this series, you’ve seen the structure, the strategy, the systems. But what really shaped this retreat – and what’s shaped this business from the very beginning – was God’s guidance.
This wasn’t a “quiet time in the morning and then go build a kingdom of my own” kind of retreat.
I didn’t want to plan and then ask God to bless it.
I wanted to bring Him into every part of it.
And not in some perfect, polished way. I didn’t have a devotional plan or a long list of Scriptures prepared. I didn’t even fast. I didn’t light a candle and pray for 45 minutes in a prayer closet.
I just showed up with my heart open.
I think as Christian business owners, we have this weird tendency to hyper-spiritualize everything. But our faith is not a box we go into, sit inside of for a while, and then go to something else. It’s infused in everything we do. It should run through our veins, be embedded deep into our bones.
So I didn’t go into the retreat with a “God checklist” so I felt like a good little girl.
I just went and then prayed some pretty desperate, hungry prayers.
When I was done unpacking, I just sat quietly on the little old couch and asked Him to show me what He wanted me to do in the business for the next 3 months.
And to help me plan it the way He wanted it to be.
That’s it. Like I said – nothing fancy. I just did that, then rolled up my sleeves and got started.
What My Mornings Looked Like
Each morning started with a Starbucks espresso with light cream, my Bible app, and Christian music playing on my phone. Not the stuff you play in the car with your kids. The kind you feel in your chest. The kind that has tears pricking your eyes. A playlist that helped me tune out the clutter and just be quiet.
Sometimes, I just sat there listening to every word in the song. Letting it grab me.
I didn’t rush.
I didn’t force anything.
I sat still.
One thing I specifically did is I wrote a letter to God each morning in my journal. Not a formal prayer. Just a sweeping conversation about what I was happy about, what I was scared about, what I was hoping for, what I wanted Him to do (which was mainly tell ME what to do!).
I didn’t move into the strategy part of my retreat until I felt like I wanted to and was ready to.
Prompts That Helped Me Most
Some of the journaling prompts I used came directly from Scripture or from past prayer times. I didn’t want to just reflect as a business owner. I wanted to reflect as a daughter of God, trying to steward what He’s given me.
Because that’s the scary thing for me. He’s given me this business that’s growing so beautifully and I don’t want to mess it up with all my stupid human plans. All the selfish and self-serving things I tend to do.
A few of the prompts that stood out:
- What is God teaching me in this season?
- If God is with me, then what becomes possible?
- What am I holding too tightly or unwilling to give Him?
- Where have I seen His favor and protection over the last three months?
- What areas of my life or business are not honoring Him?
These weren’t about figuring it all out. It was just pour-out-your-guts type of journaling.
If it felt forced, I skipped it. If it felt like my hand couldn’t write fast enough, I stayed there.
Letting Go of Control
There was one image I kept returning to throughout the retreat. At the risk of sounding foolish or like some odd little female monk on a mountaintop, here it is:
I pictured my business as a beautiful, perfectly wrapped little gift box. Glossy white. Simple. Clean. Sitting in the palm of my hand. A luxe pink velvet bow perfectly tied on top.
And I just kept praying, “Help me hold it loosely.”
That was my prayer the whole time. “Help me hold it loosely.”
Because I don’t want to squeeze my fingers tight around it and cry, “No! Mine!”
Not to cling to outcomes.
Not to white-knuckle the future.
Just to trust Him with the next step.
I have this fear that if He leaned over today to pick it up from my hand, I would instinctively clench my fingers around it.
“God, help me to hold it loosely. To be willing to let You have it anytime you say so. Always.”
Because I can read: “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1, NIV). but when it comes to my business, do I REALLY believe that is true? Like I mean hold-it-loosely-take-it-if-You-want-it believe that it’s true?
Or do I just say those words?
How I Invited Him In Throughout the Day
I didn’t stop with a prayer or reading time and then move on to content and strategy. And let me tell you, it’s all too easy for me to live like that.
But I played worship music while I showered and got ready. I let it play while I prepped lunch or sat on the couch to journal. I kept my phone on a countertop far away instead of in my hand so I wouldn’t scroll.
And I tried to just be where I was.
Scripture kept coming to mind.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
That verse came back as I made decisions about offers, timelines, and team.
Another that grounded me:
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)
This retreat reminded me that I can make a plan. In fact, I should make a plan. That’s part of being a good steward. We are not lazy. We are not undisciplined. We don’t bumble around foolishly.
We have a plan. We work the plan.
But the outcomes are not mine to control. They never have been.
And the business is His. If He decides to reach out for it to take it, I want to keep my fingers gently open. Easy to write. Hard to do.
What I Want You to Know
You don’t need a special checklist to bring God into your business retreat.
You just need to slowwwww down. Way down. To not fight against the stillness.
To not be distracted.
To ask. To listen.
To truly be willing to be still.
He is not looking for perfection. He is not impressed by your productivity. But He does care about your obedience. Your willingness. Your faith.
And I hope and pray we can all be willing to hold these gifts loosely in our hands, remembering they don’t belong to us.
We are just their care takers.
They do not define us.
They are not actually ours in the way we think they are.
Whether you take two days in a hotel or two hours in a quiet corner of your home, He can meet you there.
In Case You Missed It:
- Blog 1: Why I Took a 40-Hour Quarterly Planning Retreat (and How I Structured It)
- Blog 2: What to Pack for Your Quarterly Planning Retreat for Your Small Business (freebie inside!!)
- Blog 3: 8 Quarterly Planning Retreat Journal Prompts to Reflect and Refocus Your Business (freebie inside!)
- Blog 4: Lessons Learned from My First Solo Quarterly Planning Retreat for My Business
- Blog 5: How to Plan Your Own Quarterly Planning Retreat for Your Business (freebie inside!)
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