What I learned from my women’s retreat:

I was sitting in physics class and my professor asked us if we felt the power of knowledge. It was a light-hearted question that was really meant to be rhetorical, but I quickly scribbled it down and took some time to ponder it, with regard to the complex math terms we worked on and how they may be used to simplify complex equations in the future. That knowledge was helpful, but did not instill in me feelings of power.

I find myself lost for words to describe what it is I find makes me powerful. I find myself always wanting something. I like to think that is the source of humanity. To be human is to always be searching for something. At the very core of who we are is this idea that we are alone -- which is false. False idea. Illusion. We sometimes seek things we do not need in order to fill imaginary voids.

There’s no time to second guess ourselves or our desires. I learned this, then unlearned it, and learned it again. I probably will unlearn this again, which is part of the reason I wanted to write it down. The best thing for us to do is ask for guidance from God. The only thing that really matters is a relationship with God.

My roommate Maggsies learned that mercy is renewed every morning. My other roommate Emsies learned that you can always go back to God no matter how flawed you are. I learned that when you choose to walk with God, your path will always be lit. Erin learned that there are new ways to encourage others to be their best selves. Lauren learned that in addition to all of these things, the Lord works in mysterious ways.

The hardest part of this entire retreat was pretending not to be shocked by how timely all of the messages and teachings were. The easiest part was talking to these amazing women, who shared such similar views and interests. We were all here for the same reason, regardless of where we came from and where we are going.

I got to sit one on one with Sister Cara, who really understood what it felt like to be a young woman in a world filled with ungodly desires. We spoke about the things we learned and the different ways we grow in God. The best part of this talk was how down to earth the conversation was and how at peace we were with each other and, upon speaking our thoughts and feelings, with ourselves.

I will miss these girls immensely as I developed a loving bond with all of them. Economic stability and the desire for money, science and the desire for knowledge, and military and the desire for power will all die when we die. The only thing that stays is God’s love.

I leave you with this question: Where do you find your power?