Questions, So Many Questions
This is the second in a series of three posts about Spiritual Direction. My intent with this series is for more people to know about spiritual direction, to understand why someone might choose to meet with a spiritual director, and to take away (or at least reduce) confusion, mysteriousness, and/or distrust which sometimes surrounds spiritual direction.
"Why am I here?" "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?" "What do I really believe?" "What does it all mean?" These are big life questions that most of ask in one form or another at some point in our life. And they are great questions to bring to spiritual direction, but they are definitely not the only reason people choose to participate in spiritual direction.
In last week’s post, I talked about what spiritual direction is and shared that I believe at its core Spiritual Direction is about a desire for a deeper relationship and/or experience of God/Spirit/The Divine, accompaniment or someone to walk with you on the journey, and deep listening for that 'still small voice', the gentle urgings of our soul. You can read the full post from last week here.
This week, I thought it might help to expand our understanding of spiritual direction by highlighting reasons people seek a spiritual director. If you hear yourself (or others) asking these kinds of questions, you (they) may want to explore spiritual direction.
People who choose to participate in spiritual direction often are wrestling with one or more of the following areas and may be asking questions like those listed below. They may be seeking to:
Identify and trust their own experience of God/Spirit.
Is this God/Spirit ‘talking’ or is it my mind or ego?
How do I know if this is God/Spirit at work?
Cultivate or integrate spirituality into their daily life.
I feel like I have my ‘spiritual life’ and the ‘rest of my life’ – they are compartmentalized. How do I bring it all together?
How do I create and maintain a consistent spiritual practice?
What is a ‘spiritual practice’ really? I’m not sure I know what that means but I think I want it.
Discern the movement of Spirit in their life and especially as they are making important life choices.
Where is God/Spirit leading me (calling me)?
Is this what God/Spirit wants me to do?
Is there a process I can go through to help me know the decision I am making is the ‘right’ one?
Discover and give voice to their soul’s longing.
I feel a strong connection to God/Spirit, but how do I go deeper and/or find a way to express that connection more in my life?
I feel deeply connected to something beyond me, bigger than me, but I don’t know how to talk about it.
Reflect on religious assumptions from the past (beliefs or practices of their religious tradition of origin) or present beliefs and/or practices.
I don’t know what I think or believe anymore. I feel confused and lost.
I’ve been so disappointed, hurt, and/or disgusted by religious institutions that I can’t be involved anymore. I grew up in the church/synagogue/temple and miss some things about it. How can I be intentional about growing my faith or spiritual life now that I am no longer part of that?
I know I’m a spiritual person and/or I believe in God/Spirit/Greater Power, but what does that mean for my daily life?
If you hear yourself in any of the above and would like to explore more what spiritual direction may provide for you or if it is a good fit for you at this time, let's chat! Simply click here to find a time that works for you.
Feel free to drop any questions you have about the above or spiritual direction in general in the comments.