Rest in the Wrestle Retreat

A yearly gathering for those learning to rest inside unresolved questions
April 5–6, 2024

Description

Rest in the Wrestle is a yearly retreat created for those living inside questions that may not resolve quickly—or at all. Each year, participants gather with the shared acknowledgment that some struggles do not have neat answers: chronic uncertainty, lingering grief, long obedience without visible change, faith held alongside disappointment.

The most recent retreat took place April 5–6, 2024, welcoming 30 participants into an intentionally small, relational environment. Because attendance is limited, each person is known by name, able to engage meaningfully with teaching, and invited into a sacred space where honesty is honored and presence matters.

Rather than attempting to fix or escape the wrestle, the retreat normalizes it. Through thoughtful teaching, guided reflection, prayer, and unhurried conversation, participants are invited to discover rest—not because the struggle has ended, but because God is present within it.

The Challenge

Those who attended in April 2024 arrived carrying unresolved tensions. Many were faithful but tired. Hopeful yet disappointed. Some were leaders or caregivers who regularly held space for others but rarely had space held for them.

They did not need quick answers. They needed permission—to stop striving, to name grief, to acknowledge uncertainty without pressure to resolve it.

The Win

Over the course of the weekend, something subtle but meaningful shifted. Participants began to understand that rest is not the absence of struggle, but the presence of God within it. The wrestle did not disappear, but the isolation did.

One participant reflected:
“As someone who regularly holds space for others, I didn’t realize how much I needed space held for me. Rest in the Wrestle was gentle, grounded, and deeply sacred. It reminded me that faithfulness doesn’t always look like resolution—and that rest is still possible in the waiting.”

Another shared:
“Rest in the Wrestle helped me understand that rest isn’t the absence of struggle—it’s the presence of God within it. For the first time in a long while, I felt permission to stop striving for closure and instead trust that my story will end well, even if the middle remains unresolved.”

Rest in the Wrestle continues each year as a reminder that unanswered questions do not disqualify faith—and that even here, rest is possible.