SPIRITUAL GROWTH MAY 2010 SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

Connections and Spiritual Direction

Many of us find various groups in which we feel comfortable sharing our faith and walk with God. We find strength in hearing of others’ journeys and rejoice to see God at work in our lives. Most of us also spend time alone in prayer and study of Scripture. We seek to find a more intimate relationship with the divine.

Do you sense a desire for more? If that is the case you may want to consider the ancient discipline of spiritual direction.

Until several years ago I had never heard of this. It was in reading a series of novels written by Susan Howatch, rather steamy and based on clerics and their sons or daughters, that I encountered the term. Not long after that I found myself desperately in need of spiritual guidance. I had lost my way along with any contact with a religious community. In my conversations with my former pastor I came to understand the nature and value of this discipline.

The name is rather deceptive I think and certainly can create a false impression of what it is. Do you remember a person in your childhood church that many seemed to seek out when they had a question? Over the years have there been people you sought with questions of where God was in your life? These were informal spiritual directors.

A spiritual director doesn’t tell you what to do. The director doesn’t preach, counsel, or solve problems. And the direction session certainly is not limited to discussions of ‘spiritual matters’. All of life is a part of our walk with God and thus anything is a topic for spiritual direction. What spiritual direction does do is help us discern where God is involved in our lives. The conversation is a sacred time for sharing our journeys and for listening for God’s word. For me it is a wonderful time to ponder and reflect on the affairs of my daily living seeking a greater understanding of who I am and who God is.

The discipline part is the regularity with which you meet with your director. The usual pattern is once a month. Differing from counseling or study the assumption is that you will continue to come, to bring whatever seems to be the nature of your journey at the moment. Like life sometimes there are significant issues and other times the waters seem smooth. The regularity of reflection helps me continue to grow. More and more I am aware of my evolving life with God. Sometimes the director offers questions or new possibilities for prayer. Sometimes a particular Scripture jumps out. Always the director listens both to you and to God.

Do you feel a call for a time of intimate conversation with God as the focus?
Do you seek a regular time of reflection and pondering?
Perhaps spiritual direction is the discipline you seek.

Blessings, Caroline