Rest.
Recognize.
Respond.
Relate.
Repeat.
Spiritual direction is intentional time spent in prayerful conversation with another in the acknowledged presence of the Holy Spirit. As a Spiritual director, the only direction I attempt is that of pointing you to the real Director, the Spirit. We will prayerfully explore together the ways in which God is already moving in your life, whether that may be through a perceived presence or absence. My sense of the Spirit is informed by my relationship with God’s Son Jesus. I also acknowledge that everyone has a unique relationship with God and that some of the language I use, including names for God, and even the word “relationship,” may not feel comfortable to everyone. There is space for this in Spiritual direction. So much of what we’ll be doing is prayerfully presenting our wrestlings to God.
The form this has taken for me is reflected in the model below. This won’t give you a comprehensive understanding of everything you’ll experience in Spiritual direction, but it does offer a framework that I’ve experienced firsthand. It begins with an invitation to rest.
Rest
How can we hear God unless we first rest? God tells us to draw near when we are weary, and promises rest before even mentioning the easy yoke and the light burden, which lead to rest for our souls. Through setting aside an hour for Spiritual direction, we deny time its thievery, and attempt something eternal, as we listen together for the movements of the God who moves beyond time.
Recognize
How can we know God’s voice apart from our own or all the others speaking to us? We practice. We learn from others who have been practicing for centuries. We prayerfully consider what we are hearing alongside God’s nature as revealed in scripture. And we look inside ourselves for the image of God that has been implanted within each of us, foundational to our true selves.
Respond
How can we communicate back to God? We offer our experience. This could take many forms and may include gratitude or anger, excitement or apathy, trust or cynicism, or all of the above. We learn to offer to God the deep things our spirit longs to express. God loves to hear everything his children are going through, to be in all of it with them.
Relate
How can we relate to God, to others, and even to ourselves in a world with so many demands and distractions? As we practice Spiritual direction, our actions become more deeply rooted in a place of listening, cultivated through rest, recognition, and response to the One who loves us most. And we return, once again, to rest.
If you are curious to explore together what this could look like for you, please get in touch.
Essuary Spiritual Direction 