Spiritually Hungry and Curious? Spiritual Direction May Help.

Curious and hungry.

Those are words many people—especially young adults—are using to describe their spiritual posture. They are deeply curious about their inner spiritual landscape and hungry to know more about the Transcendent, the Divine, God. But increasingly, they aren’t looking for answers in the institutional religious spaces of their parents and grandparents.

And it’s not hard to understand why.

We’re living in a time when it can be difficult to distinguish a house of worship from a political breeding ground. Even if you do your homework and research a church’s theological positions as thoroughly as the internet allows, it can be nearly impossible to know what you’ll actually encounter once you walk through the doors. Will you be clobbered with the Bible? Welcomed at first, only to encounter a theological bait-and-switch weeks, months, or even years after investing in the community?

Beyond that, it’s exhausting to sort through the doctrinal and interpretive nuances of denominations and individual churches while simultaneously trying to discern your own convictions, questions, and beliefs.

Perhaps this is one reason spiritual direction is becoming increasingly appealing.

Spiritual direction offers a quiet, confidential, intimate space in which we can process past faith experiences, explore theological questions, and pay attention to what is happening within us. The relationship between spiritual director and directee provides a unique context where radical acceptance, deep listening, and dedicated spiritual conversation can form us in ways that larger corporate gatherings simply cannot.

If you’re longing for spiritual growth and renewal, looking for a place to heal from wounds caused by religious experiences, or simply need a safe space to wrestle honestly with theological questions, spiritual direction may be a meaningful next step.

It isn’t a replacement for church or spiritual community. But it can be a beautiful space to explore why church may not be working for you in this particular season—and, perhaps more importantly, to discover where the Divine might already be meeting you outside the places you were taught to look.