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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