Entry Points for Spiritual Companions
In “Spiritual Direction” or “Sacred Companionship,” we seek to discern footprints or signposts of God’s presence and his formation process in the flow of our relational, embodied lives, along with our interior thoughts, feelings, and interpretive hunches. We do not seek to eliminate ambiguity nor deny feelings of God’s absence.
Here are some possible entry points to help you share your journey with your companions. Don’t think long and hard over each. See if a question or two grabs your attention.
Don’t worry about being comprehensive or balanced. Perhaps just share a vignette or slice of your life, something you like to speak about for 20-30 minutes as the others listen with little or no interruption.
Recall events/experiences in the past week that stand out. Try to tell us how these impacted you.
Tell us about some emotions you experienced lately. Were you sad, glad, or mad? Are you feeling any anxiety or dread as you look ahead?
Is there anything you feel longingly about as you look forward? Have you prayed with hunger for something, for some change? Spiritual desires? Is there a moral/spiritual virtue that you desire more depth in?
Have you become more aware of yourself in any way in the past few weeks?
Did you recently have a meaningful conversation you cherished? Or perhaps a conversation that left you hurt or discouraged?
What does your relationship with God feel like right now? Avoid judging it. Simply describe.
Have you experienced grief—not necessarily about anyone’s death, but the weariness of life in a broken world and your broken being?
Are you aware of any forming God may be doing? No worries if you are not, as his work is often hidden. Do you sometimes feel aversion or resistance to God’s invitations? Has your conscience alerted you in any way to temptation?
Did anything in your recent experience seem to tie into your bigger story or perhaps trigger something in one of the broken strands of your story, like shame or anger, resentment, or desire to avoid pain?