Articles By: Conversations Journal

Spiritual direction is a process by which one person assists another in becoming increasingly aware of the action of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. This “assistance” often involves the simple encouragement to slow down and become more aware of God and his love.

While driving around my hometown during recent weeks, I have noticed the presence of a few unusual yard signs. Instead of the typical political messages, these signs portray a facsimile of two tablets of stone on which are written the Ten Commandments.

It seems that often when we seek direction from the Lord, what we get instead is advice from others—pastors, friends, or counselors. The advice may actually be very good, but it is not what we are seeking and is not what we need. Instead what we long to hear is what Elijah heard—the gentle whisper from the Lord that came after the great and powerful wind, after the earth shattering earthquake and after the blazing fire (1 Kings 19:11–12).

Rabbi Eliezer was the first to speak. “If a man really wants to understand a word in the Scriptures,” he said, “he has to enter into it with his whole being.”

“But isn’t it impossible for a grown-up man to enter into a small word?” one of his disciples objected.

“I did not speak about men who think they are bigger than words,” the Rabbi answered.