Spiritual Direction, A safe, Non-judgemental Place to Explore

Is there something I sense God is calling me to?

What are my images of God?

How do I take time to reflect on my experiences?

Who is Jesus for me?

Where am I most aware of God’s presence?

What are my deepest joys?

What questions within me keep me growing?

What are the questions that frighten me?

How am I growing spiritually?

What is my desire for God?

How do I discern the presence of God in my life?

How do I feel about my relationship with God?

What is spiritual growth and how do I foster it in my life?

What is true for me?

Who am I?

The spiritual discipline of Spiritual Direction gives one a safe, non-judgmental place to dig deep and to look closely at all the ways God is working in one’s life. It is a place to explore questions like the ones listed above.

Spiritual direction is spending time deepening one’s relationship with God. It is time set aside usually for one hour once a month. During this one hour, the person coming to a Spiritual Director referred to as “the directee” brings joys, concerns, questions, etc. to the session. The spiritual director listens closely to the directee and the Holy Spirit, asks questions, and reflects back to the directee to help the directee to discover the ways that God is present in their life. The real spiritual director is the Holy Spirit. It is not a counseling session but a safe space to explore, ask questions and ponder. It is a spiritual discipline of setting aside time to work on our relationship with God.

Spiritual direction explores a deeper relationship with the spiritual aspect of being human. Simply put, spiritual direction is helping people tell their sacred stories everyday.

—Spiritual Directors International

The Spirals of a Seashell

Have you ever paused to look closely at the spirals on a seashell?  When you get a chance to look at one, notice how the spirals begin on the outside of the shell and wind their way to the center.  

During one of my very first spiritual direction sessions my spiritual director, Annie, ran her finger along the spirals on a seashell as she talked to me about spiritual disciplines. She said, “spiritual disciplines are like the spirals on a seashell.” Continuing to move her finger around the spirals of the shell Annie pointed out that it is much harder to fall off the side of the shell the closer her finger moved towards the center and away from the edges of the shell. Annie said, “Spiritual disciplines are like the spirals on the seashell drawing us closer and closer to God.  The deeper our relationship with God becomes the easier it is to withstand the storms in our life.  When the storms of life knock us down we do not fall off the edge because we are closer to the center.”

Over time I have practiced several different spiritual disciplines. Spiritual direction, scriptural reading, and journaling have remained stable disciplines for me.  I have learned that some spiritual disciplines will work for me for a time but grow tiresome and not helpful for me in deepening my relationship with God. When that happens, I move on to something that I find more helpful at the time. 

We are all different and a spiritual discipline that works for one person might not work for another.  Take some time and try to find a spiritual discipline that will grow your relationship with God.

blessings

Cindy

https://www.facebook.com/yoursacredstorymatters

 

Love Is The Most Important Word

Love is the most important word in the English language—and the most confusing. Both secular and religious thinkers agree that love plays a central role in life.

Love has a prominent role in thousands of books, song, magazines, and movies. Numerous philosophical and theological systems

have made a prominent place for love.

              -----Gary Chapman, “The 5 Love Languages The Secret to Love That Lasts)

I first learned of the five love languages through my spiritual director, Annie.  She explained that she had learned to respect her husband more when she discovered his love language is “Acts of Service.” Her husband would often clean out her car.  She thought he was saying to her, “you are so messy and lazy that I need to clean out your car” when in fact he was showing her love through his love language “Acts of Service.”  What a difference it made for their marriage when she took the time to learn his love language and realized he was showing love, not criticism, when he cleaned out her car.

Perhaps learning your love language and the love language of others will help you. I encourage you to visit here http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/ and find out your love language.

Blessings,

Cindy

https://www.facebook.com/yoursacredstorymatters