I hope you are continuing this journey with me as I write
more about details of spiritual direction. Every day people like
you and me may ask what's in it for us? Why in the world would that interest us? After all most of us would rate ourselves in the ordinary, every day caliber, in no high ranking position, with every day responsibilities. Maybe we are parents, college students, factory workers, or just have a day that we go to work, do our jobs, come home and repeat this the next day.
When I first went to spiritual direction the only
format I noticed was that I did the talking and the spiritual director did the
listening. Oh, once in a while she asked
a question that encouraged me to go deeper into whatever I was talking
about. I walked out of each session
thinking to myself that it was a rare time in my life that I really got to
talk, to feel my feelings with no one trying to fix or change a thing! Once in awhile I needed to discern a situation; spiritual direction helped. It was very refreshing, to say the least.
As my trust grew I brought more and more to each session. I was surprised that nothing was off the table to discuss...nothing! I didn't go with goals, things to work on or big questions; I did, however, trust my divine guide to prompt me as to what to talk about. That worked for me! One time, after a long period of time, I couldn't figure it all out as to how or what I was doing; I simply asked, "Am I doing OK?" And she reassured me that I was doing just fine so I continued trusting her and doing what I was doing...talking!
She didn’t prod, probe nor react…just
really listened well and companioned me! That was probably
the most surprising to me. Some of us come from a prodding, probing background where listening is
not high on any totem pole! Having
someone just be a spiritual companion can be very life-giving. The spiritual direction process also believes that the divine within each of us will bring to light answers we might be seeking without being told by another what we should/should not do.
The neutrality of the sessions was a pleasant
surprise. I didn’t understand, from the spiritual director’s side, what all
went into this time with a client because listening, with minimal input, is by
no means simple for a director. I didn't learn this until my own training. From the outside looking in, it appeared that the director did nothing much! WRONG!!
It was amazing to me, how everything affected my own
prayer life and connection with God. One thing that stood out though was that
she was certainly NOT trying to get me to change, to become something I wasn’t nor
did I think I had to get callouses on my knees to be “good enough”!! I didn't have to talk about my spirituality nor religious beliefs, even though she always had an eye on the divine in our conversation. I was OK just the way I was! So, I found out that spiritual direction IS for the ordinary folk after all!
Molly
LaFond is taking new clients. If you would like to speak with her or make an appointment she can be reached at 920 793.3530 or for further
information and to subscribe to her blog go to: MollyLaFond.com
