Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” (Gen 28:16)

What Is Spiritual Direction?

Spiritual direction is conversation with another person about your relationship with God, or the relationship you are hoping it is possible to have with God.

The idea of spiritual direction is based on God’s constant, never-ending desire for a relationship with each of us, revealed to us over time in all the events and surroundings of our lives. In meetings with a director, individuals have a chance to reflect on these experiences of God’s presence, talk about their attempts at prayer and reflection, and discern where and why God is calling them next.

How We Approach Direction

Spiritual direction is a journey of discovering, appreciating, and responding to the presence and invitation of God, in the hope that we can live with a heightened awareness of love, and a deeper commitment to love.

We go about this in a very gentle, nonthreatening, evocative approach. As the directee tells his/her story (everyone has a story and desires that story to be heard), the director listens deeply to what is being shared. The atmosphere of nonjudgmental, positive regard allows for the directee to develop a deep trust in the director, as this is essential to any direction relationship. While this bond grows, directees become freer to go more deeply into their story and open the space for God’s activity.

In this process, the director acts like a midwife encouraging but never pushing, and knowing when to stop and invite the person spend some time lingering. All of this is done in the spirit of invitation and never insistence.

The approach is first about helping the person notice what is going on with his or her life, what prayer has been like for them and their feelings about any or all of it. Next, the hope is to savor this experience, and in doing so begin to notice even more.

Ultimately, the hope is that a response will be uncovered that leads to greater freedom for the directee and a deeper relationship with God.

All of this is a humble attempt to explain how we approach the ministry, but none of this happens overnight. It is the slow work of God throughout the course of a lifetime journey.

How Do You Start?

All of us associated with Jacob’s Ladder would be happy to talk with you informally about whether spiritual direction might be right for you, and to answer your questions about how we go about it. Simply contact any of us listed below and we will try to answer your questions, by phone or via a video call. There would, of course, be no obligation to continue on after this initial discussion.

Deciding on a particular spiritual director to meet with is a very personal decision. You should find someone with whom you are comfortable, and who respects your privacy and your life choices.

If you have other questions about what spiritual direction is like and how to get started, read our Frequently Asked Questions.

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