I came into the spiritual exercises simply craving silence and time alone with God. I was truly not sure what else to expect. In the months leading up the spiritual exercises, I was feeling lost and I knew that I needed a renewal in my spiritual life. During one of the first meditations, we learned that the spiritual exercises are meant to be a decisive encounter with God. It is meant to be life-changing. This is actually the best summary for the entire weekend. With each meditation and spiritual readings, it seemed that God was speaking directly to my life. I had been struggling with anxiety and fear for many years, but during these spiritual exercises, God was calling me to abandon myself and to trust in Him despite my feelings. I felt called to know that God is still creating me and ordering my life and I can rest in that knowledge and not worry about anything. This has been my greatest takeaway from the spiritual exercises. It has been a blessing to see how the Lord is continuing to pour out graces in the weeks following the spiritual exercises and helping me to implement a lot of the practical resolutions I made over that weekend. I still feel anxious and distressed sometimes, but I am no longer a slave to those feelings. Little by little, God is helping me to grow closer to Him and to trust in Him more.