Spiritual Direction is NOT a Just Me and Jesus Effort
Those that struggle with self-disclosure or a lack of understanding of the definition and benefits of spiritual direction sometimes end up in this comfortable but dangerous trap. As we will discuss later, God has chosen to use human instruments to shape, mold, and bring us closer to him. This is because it can be very dangerous to direct oneself; the devil lurks in that ‘blind spot’ and waits to attack; others can see our faults and weaknesses better than we can, and a good director can tell us what’s hiding in our ‘blind spot’. It is extremely rare that anyone seeking to deepen their faith will find themselves in circumstances where God violates His chosen means for our growth. Unless you are a desert hermit, you are not likely to fall into this category (and even hermits have spiritual directors).
This is an excerpt from Dan’s book Navigating the Interior Life – Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God. To learn more, click here.
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What is spiritual direction and my spiritual direction? What are my “blind spots” and how can I uncover them? What keeps me from all the spiritual riches Christ has for me? How can I better understand where I am in my spiritual progress?
Daniel Burke’s Navigating the Interior Life will give you the tools you need to understand how and why we grow and die in the spiritual life and what we can do about it.
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Art for this post on how spiritual direction is not a just me and Jesus and the Holy Spirit effort: Christ and Saint Mina [or Menas], iconographer unknown, 6th-century icon from Bawit, Egypt, PD-US author’s life plus 70 years or less, Wikimedia Commons.
