Sophomore Retreat: A Lesson in Relationships
Brianna Marecki
April 24, 2009
Filed under Retreats, Top Stories
Boy meets girl. Boy asks girl out on a date. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married and live happily ever after, right? As much as we might like for relationships to be this easy, they are not as simple as the cliché Hollywood love story.
On the sophomore retreat we learned the obstacles to be faced on the road to marriage and how we can overcome them. To do this, the sophomores first gained some insight into how to make a relationship last. Although a relationship does need passion, it can’t be the foundation, or the relationship will not last long. Instead, it needs to be built on a bond and friendship first and foremost.
The lessons we learned on this trip were, in one word: priceless. First we learned how the opposite sex thinks by having a question and answer session with the adult leaders on the trip, followed by the guys and girls breaking up in separate groups to have further discussion.
Our class also learned about honor—how it is important for girls to show the guys respect and submit to their leadership as a way of honoring them, and they in turn learned how they need to show the girls their worth. We learned that a good way of doing this is serving one another, which we did. The girls had previously investigated the guys’ interests, hobbies, and favorite foods in order to put together a gift and note of encouragement. After the nervousness of giving them their gifts had worn off, and after the relief of knowing the guys actually liked our selections had settled in, we had lunch together. This was a great way to talk to someone you hadn’t had a chance to talk to previously. However, lunch was just the tip of the iceberg.
Everyone had expectations about the date; the girls primped for hours while the guys learned about etiquette. Whatever expectations we had, I’m sure no one was expecting the deafening shriek that erupted on our bus full of girls when we pulled up and saw the guys in line, each one with a flower in their hand. We were all so excited to find out which boy we were paired with and how the date would go. Although there was some awkwardness at the beginning of the dates, it soon faded.
The guys were considerate of girls by standing up whenever we did, and by holding out our chairs for us when we sat back down. Later the girls all agreed that this made us feel respected and special. The next day our class was put into teams and participated in various activities designed to show us how to make our relationships better.
In one activity, the girls had to guide the blind-folded boys through a maze. To make it through the maze unscathed, the guys had to block out the other voices and listen intently to hear the girls’ instructions. In another activity, the teams had to get everyone over a 10-foot wall; this took perseverance and effective communication, as well as the realization that no one could get over alone.
Later that day, our class learned another lesson about honor by washing our peers’ feet. Although this act was a little odd and kind of awkward, it was extremely humbling—something we are not likely to soon forget. We continued honoring one another by recognizing individuals in our grade. Whether we were close friends with the people we chose to honor or not, this experience brought us closer together as a class.
Over all, the retreat was a success, and our class learned a lot about relationships and one another. Of course, none of us will be getting married in the near future, but it is important to put the principles we learned into practice now so that when we meet the person God has destined us to marry, we will be able to have the kind of relationship God intended us to have.