WHAT IS SPIRITUAL DIRECTION?
In the midst of a busy life, many people find it difficult to notice God’s action in their daily affairs. Yet, at the deepest level, all of us long for a more conscious experience of God’s presence and love.
The purpose of spiritual direction is:
To deepen your relationship with God
To grow in prayer
To recognize God’s presence in your life
To learn to discern God’s will
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 direction is an ongoing relationship, sometimes referred to as spiritual guidance or spiritual friendship, in which we meet with another person on a regular basis to become more attuned to God’s presence and respond more fully to that Presence in all of life. A spiritual director helps us to name and give voice to our experience of God in our lives.
The primary focus of spiritual direction is always our relationship with God.
Spiritual direction is a trained ministry, most commonly requiring two to three years in a certified training program. Some spiritual directors are also ordained, but that is not a requirement. Further, as a means of accountability and growth, spiritual directors avail themselves of supervision groups or one to one supervision support for the ministry. Fees and frequency of meeting times, are discussed during the initial meeting.
A Resource on Our Spiritual Journey
We learn about discernment in spiritual direction. We learn how to make prayerful decisions about our vocations, relationships, turning points and the big movements in our lives. Many of us come to spiritual direction while in transition. We have an increased ability to live with uncertainty and ambiguity. We have a greater ease in decision-making. Listening to God’s guidance is the essence of spiritual direction.
We grow in a more consistent and satisfying prayer life. We learn the forms of prayer that best suit us and connect us with God. We work with our spiritual director in creating and setting aside special times with God. Our spiritual director may help us to develop and sustain a “rule of life”.
We learn what gives us a greater sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. We start to discover our spiritual gifts, our God-given talents and joys. Self knowledge is an essential aspect of every stage of spiritual growth. We then learn how to respond to God’s leading through the movement in our hearts. Spiritual direction is a journey of deep healing. More and more we live in a joyous freedom to actually be who God created.