The Gift of Spiritual Direction

It took me twenty years to get up my courage to try receiving spiritual direction, but once I did, I wondered why I had resisted for so long.

Sitting with another woman who was committed to listening to me and my thoughts, emotions, and wonderings about God has been delightful in so many ways.

It also gave me a space to work out theological questions and wonderings without worrying about negatively affecting others or receiving unsolicited advice. This one hour a month has truly become a precious gift. 

My first experience of spiritual direction was in a group where we taught ourselves to listen well and to listen to God too. When I was trying to discern how to make a huge decision, one of the women asked, “What would have to happen for you to know that God was saying ‘yes’ to this?”  

As I wrestled with this question and then saw God give me the very improbable sign I asked for, I was able to be confident that I was deciding with God, not against Him.

Around the same time, individual spiritual direction helped walk me through the death of my mother. As I processed some conversations with my mother, I began to understand the depth of what she had been trying to tell me and how that showed her love for me.

Because of spiritual direction, I was able to process my grief. 

Spiritual direction has allowed me to understand myself even more than my Psychology and Social Work degrees did. In spiritual direction, I could look at difficult parts of myself with grace because I was looking at them with God.

Experiencing the light of God shining on me made me able to face my own darkness, anger, and moments of despair. 

Whether in a group or individually, from a trained director or a spiritual friend, spiritual direction has provided me with a dedicated space to consider how God is with me. It has been a wonderful gift that I now delight in sharing with others!