Photo: The Cloister at Iona Abbey
Photo Credit: Martin Guppy |
"Spiritual
Direction" is much simpler than it sounds. It is simply
two people sitting together -- a listener and a seeker --
to attend to the prayer life of the seeker. The dialogue
in the room is between the listener and the seeker,
but the dialogue is about the seeker's relationship
with God.
The listener is not an
“expert,” and not a "director" in any directive sense of
the word. Rather, the listener is a companion and
confidante, a fellow-traveler through a world that can
seem -- and sometimes is -- dark and lonely and full of
sadness. |
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The director helps -- if s/he helps at all -- only through
the grace of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And
the help is often in the form of reflecting back what he
or she hears as the seeker talks about the life of prayer.
Sometimes -- in our
prayer lives as in the balance of our lives -- it is
useful to have a third party listen to our story. That is
the role of the director -- to listen carefully for
recurring themes, for underlying patterns, for the
movement of God across the waters of the seeker's life. It
is a role some seekers have been generous enough to offer
me in their lives. And one I accept with great humility.
If you think spiritual
direction might be helpful to you, click on the link below
and jump to the homepage of
Spiritual Directors International, or
email me
directly.
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