Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is a way of reflecting on one's spiritual journey and speaking about it with another person of faith.
It is neither counselling nor therapy, neither instruction nor problem solving. Instead, it is conversation with a like-minded person who helps you put your prayer life into context and become more aware of God's prompting within.
"When you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." -- Jeremiah 29:13 (The Message)
What can you expect in spiritual direction?
You might wonder what happens in a spiritual direction session. Every director will be different. But generally speaking, we will drink a lot of tea and do a lot of talking. I (Dorothy) am interested in your life, what makes you tick, what are your gifts, challenges, aspirations. I love to hear your faith story and about the particular place you are in at that moment.
If you have particular concerns, then that is what we will talk about. If you are looking for a companion to share the faith journey with you, then I will listen, ask questions and encourage you in your thinking. If you want to explore your walk with God by learning methods of prayer, then that's what I will offer you. Your session will be geared to meet your needs.
Why spiritual direction?
Why? Because we all need to reflect a little in order to understand what life is all about. Soren Kierkegaard, a Scandinavian theologian and philosopher, once said,
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."
This is the reasoning behind spiritual direction. Life is so difficult to make sense of. We ask questions. We blame ourselves. We blame others. We don't understand why. For most of us we reach a much happier state of being when we can say with the Psalmist,
"Why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled? I will put my hope in God, and once again I will praise him, my saviour and my God."
Spiritual direction with a guide helps you see things in a different light: a light from the far side of eternity. The light of God.
Contact
Contact Dorothy Neilson (dorothy@linnebheag.co.uk)