Spiritual Direction
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What is "Spiritual Direction?"
Spiritual direction is about discerning the presence of God in human experience
and working to free persons to respond to that presence in deeper and broader ways.
Persons seeking spiritual direction can expect to be listened to carefully, to be
encouraged to open themselves to the various means by which God “speaks,” to be
supported in engaging in some spiritual disciplines as a means of receiving grace
and light, to be prayed for during spiritual direction sessions and outside of those
sessions.
The whole range of life experience of the individual is considered to be the arena
through which God may be “speaking,” not simply in areas that may
seem to be more “spiritual” or “religious.” Directees bring their
agenda to the spiritual direction sessions. The spiritual director’s
role is to listen for the movement of the Spirit; observe, suggest, i.e.,
be present with the directee in a way that helps him or her pay
attention to the unique ways God may be seeking to give direction,
to give what is needed in the one-of-a-kind spiritual journey of each
person.
What is unique about Christian spiritual direction?
Spiritual direction that is Christian involves the belief that Jesus Christ is in fact God,
and that His mission was to reconcile men and women to right relationship with
Himself, inviting them to share in the Divine Life, and through them imparting that Life
to others. "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through Him to
reconcile all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making
peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19.
Christian spiritual direction involves attending to the movement of the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of Jesus, in the directee's life. It involves attending to any of the areas in a
directee's life where guidance, light, or a "word from Jesus" is needed, and engaging
in practices that are designed to discover what is needed.
Spiritual direction is about discerning the presence of God in human experience
and working to free persons to respond to that presence in deeper and broader ways.
Persons seeking spiritual direction can expect to be listened to carefully, to be
encouraged to open themselves to the various means by which God “speaks,” to be
supported in engaging in some spiritual disciplines as a means of receiving grace
and light, to be prayed for during spiritual direction sessions and outside of those
sessions.
The whole range of life experience of the individual is considered to be the arena
through which God may be “speaking,” not simply in areas that may
seem to be more “spiritual” or “religious.” Directees bring their
agenda to the spiritual direction sessions. The spiritual director’s
role is to listen for the movement of the Spirit; observe, suggest, i.e.,
be present with the directee in a way that helps him or her pay
attention to the unique ways God may be seeking to give direction,
to give what is needed in the one-of-a-kind spiritual journey of each
person.
What is unique about Christian spiritual direction?
Spiritual direction that is Christian involves the belief that Jesus Christ is in fact God,
and that His mission was to reconcile men and women to right relationship with
Himself, inviting them to share in the Divine Life, and through them imparting that Life
to others. "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through Him to
reconcile all things to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making
peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19.
Christian spiritual direction involves attending to the movement of the Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of Jesus, in the directee's life. It involves attending to any of the areas in a
directee's life where guidance, light, or a "word from Jesus" is needed, and engaging
in practices that are designed to discover what is needed.
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