The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Our spiritual journey sometimes involves walking through times of uncertainty. We have moments or long stretches of sitting in more questions than answers. How do we encounter God in those times? My Family’s Unfolding Story For the last few years, our family has been very much in a season of uncertainty. It began with an invitation from God. “I’m inviting you to move to a new place. I’ll show you why when you get there.” God didn’t give us much else, other than a sense that it really was him saying this. We clung to that reality as we uprooted from the city we had called home for 15 years. We said goodbye to a beloved community of friends, an established ministry, and a sense of being known. We did it out of a deep value of building our lives on listening to God and obeying. So now we’re here in the new place, like Dorothy Gale swept away by a tornado to the Land of Oz. We are still in the middle of the unfolding story, asking questions like, “Where are we headed? What is the next step?” We have a lot of open questions with not many answers, and things feel very uncertain. In this season, I believe God is teaching us how to walk with him in the mystery, uncertainty, and questions. Here are a few lessons our family has learned along the way. If you find yourself in a season of uncertainty, maybe this will speak into your life as well. Remember God’s past work. When life feels uncertain, we might be inclined to begin thinking God is nowhere to be found. We panic, we get overwhelmed. But think back to the past, and recall the ways God has provided, intervened, and spoken. How have you experienced his goodness? How has he been generous to you? Remember and celebrate those things. Let that reality shape your outlook of the present moment. Be honest with God about your feelings and questions. God invites us into relationship with him. And real relationship is built on authenticity and transparency. Whatever your questions, concerns, and feelings, bring those to God. Some of my most authentic moments with God have been when I allow myself to share my innermost pain or anger. This act takes courage for me. But when I am completely honest with God, that gives way to deeper intimacy with him. Create space to listen. In our uncertainty, there is a divine invitation to listen to God. Make intentional space to listen to God. This past year, my husband and I scheduled weekly times to pray together. Our prayer was simple: “God, we want to listen to you. What do you want to tell us?” As we made space to listen, God spoke to us. He gave us encouragement to keep going. He revealed how he was in the middle of confusing circumstances. He spoke words that helped clarify decisions. When we listen and ask, God loves to show up. Let go of your safety nets. In times of uncertainty, I am very tempted to grasp for anything that might offer a sense of security. I gravitate toward spending lots of energy on things that make me feel like I’m in control. I get more concerned about getting our finances in order. It is in this place that God whispers to me, “Come to me. Let go of the lesser things. I am the one who will fulfill your soul’s longings.” That is God’s invitation for me to release the things that offer false security, and grab hold of the only thing that is truly secure - himself. Allow the season of uncertainty be an opportunity to let go of safety nets, and rest in the security of God. Hold onto promises. There is a lot of uncertainty in life, but God also gives us promises to anchor us. Some promises are found in Scripture, and spoken for all of us to receive. God is our shepherd (Psalm 23). Jesus promises rest and help for the weary (Matthew 11:28-29). We can be confident in these eternal truths about God. There are also unique promises that God speaks to people in their unique circumstances. As Steve and I have prayed and listened, God has given us several words and images regarding our future. Some of those promises have already become reality. Others are promises we’re still holding onto, waiting and trusting that if they are from God, they will come to pass. If you are in a season of uncertainty, ask God, “What promises do you want to me receive?” Find your traveling companions. Community with fellow travelers is so crucial to our survival, especially in times of uncertainty. We need people in our lives who give us encouragement, support, counsel, and a listening ear when we simply need to vent or cry. God gives us people to tangibly express his care for us. Steve and I are currently leaning on the help of our community more than ever before. We need mentors, friends, and family to help us follow God in the questions and mystery. We also have experienced a deepening intimacy and partnership in our own marriage as we lean on each other. Now what? We keep going. We keep hoping. We keep searching. It’s okay to live in the mystery and uncertainty. That is part of life. Part of our story. Even if we don’t know the end, God is writing our story. And he is with us every step of the way. How have you encountered God in your own times of uncertainty and questions? Share in the comments. Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
Sign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa.  I began meeting with a spiritual director almost 6 years ago. The experience was, at the risk of overstating the point, life-changing. At the time, I was in full-time college ministry, married, and had recently given birth to our first child. What had previously been a flourishing, vibrant relationship with God had begun to seem a bit stagnant and lifeless. I was experiencing what I call “treading water” in my spiritual life - I was going through the motions, but not actually moving anywhere. I began asking mentors of mine - how do you keep growing spiritually? The common response I got was a surprise to me: spiritual direction. Many people whose faith lives I respected had sought out ongoing guidance from a spiritual director. In spiritual direction, they received help in going deeper and further in their spiritual journey, and experienced growth in their relationship with God. I made an appointment with a spiritual director, and within five minutes, I knew I was talking with the right person. Maybe you’re in the same place as I was - wanting breakthrough in your relationship with God. Or maybe you’re just curious about spiritual direction and why I choose to receive it myself. Here is a look at why I got a spiritual director. 1. I FELT SPIRITUALLY STUCK. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like I was spiritually treading water. Prior to this season, most of my Christian faith had seemed vibrant and exciting. This is a common experience in the earlier stages of the spiritual journey - there is a honeymoon phase of following Jesus. Now that I was further along the journey, my previous ways of encountering God were starting to stale. Prayer times often felt empty and disengaged. Whatever had been fruitful in my life with God wasn’t working anymore. I needed help moving into something new. 2. LIFE TRANSITIONS HAD LEFT ME DISORIENTED. With the birth of our son, life had been turned upside down. Our entire family was in a weird survival mode, figuring out how to care for a newborn and also do normal human things like eat and sleep. Months after his birth, we began to feel like life was stabilizing. But when it came to my spiritual rhythms, I was still disoriented. Before having a baby, I had pretty regular practices of daily prayer, Sabbath, and longer prayer retreats. After the baby, not so much. I needed help learning new spiritual rhythms that fit my new life reality. 3. MINISTRY WAS BECOMING LIFE-DRAINING. Another major part of my life was ministry. When I first began my full-time work with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, it was a vocation that filled me with passion and vision. After a few years, I was getting tired and apathetic. Ministry challenges had me feeling discouraged, and I needed a sense of renewed calling and vision from God. 4. I WANTED WISDOM FROM A MENTOR. I had reached the end of my own know-how regarding my spiritual growth. I recognized my need for someone with wisdom and experience to guide me into the next season of my spiritual journey. I wanted someone to help me discern the presence and voice of God, and help me know how to respond to God. With my spiritual director, I began to experience major breakthrough in my spiritual life. Through our monthly times of meeting, I slowly discovered a new season in my faith. She helped me identify what God was doing, and guided me to spiritual practices and rhythms that fit God’s work and my life. She encouraged me in the growth that I had been wanting, and equipped me in the journey. As I look back to 6 years ago, I believe getting a spiritual director was one of the best decisions I could have made for my spiritual growth. She continues to be one of the most important people in my life, and I am grateful for the ways God has used her in my life. If you are considering getting a spiritual director, or have questions about how spiritual direction might be a good fit for you, I’d love to hear from you. For more on spiritual direction, read How a Spiritual Director Can Help Your Spiritual Growth. Where in your spiritual journey do you find yourself? How might a spiritual director guide you further in your relationship with God? Want guidance and inspiration for your spiritual journey delivered to your inbox?
Sign up for my email newsletter Notes From Larissa.  *Ding!* I have a text from my friend Cathy. "Are you free to talk and pray together this week?" In the middle of a week of work, errands, and family, this text is an invitation to make space for something important: pursuing God together within friendship with a fellow spiritual journeyer. Cathy and I have a long-lasting friendship built primarily on our mutual pursuit of God. We have journeyed together through life transitions and difficult seasons. Each time we get together, we share about how we're experiencing God, and about what's getting in the way of our spiritual growth. We listen without judgement, pray and listen together, and offer encouragement to each other. We are mutually committed to each other's spiritual growth. Our spiritual journey is meant to be traveled with others. We are created to pursue God in the company of other people. In relationships with other people, we receive and give support, encouragement, challenge. Of course we can encounter God and hear him alone, apart from other people. Yet there is an undeniable way we are able to grow spiritually in community. We all have flat sides and blind spots in our spiritual growth. Community with others often helps hear God and discern his will for our lives. Friendships built on the common purpose of knowing and loving God When I need prayer, encouragement, or wisdom, I turn to Cathy. She and I have a simple rhythm - we chat about once every two weeks. We briefly catch up on the essential stuff of our lives, we share what God is doing and how he is speaking, and we pray. Our prayer time includes a few moments of silent listening; we listen for any words or impressions God wants to give. Then we pray in that direction. Through conversation, listening, and praying together, friends can help each other discern God’s activity, and encourage each other in that. When we gather with friends with the purpose of pursuing God, we create the kind of sacred space that Jesus talks about in Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” It is a space for the Spirit of God to dwell among his people and bring forth more of his Kingdom reality in our lives. Not every friendship can be like the one I have with Cathy. But I believe friendship built on pursuing God together is a gift worth working toward. Friendship is often built on how much you enjoy and like a person. But what if we could have friendships built on the common purpose of knowing and loving God? Here is a simple way to develop this spiritual practice in your life. How to develop friendships that help your spiritual growth: 1. Seek out another person who shares your desire to pursue God. This may be challenging or easy for you, depending on how connected you are to others who share your desire to grow spiritually. Hopefully you are involved in a faith community, and can find someone there. If not, ask God to help you seek out a person. 2. Together with your friend, make a commitment to each other. Share with each other what each of you is seeking and hoping for in your friendship. Discuss how you want to partner together in pursuing God and spiritual growth. Make a commitment to be open and honest with each other. This is not a common kind of conversation, and may feel clunky and awkward. That's fine. If you want a friendship that is ultimately aimed at mutual spiritual growth, a clear commitment to each other is an important step. 3. Decide on a rhythm of meeting together. This relationship is built on being intentional and consistent. You will need to decide how often to meet together, depending on your schedules. For example, you might choose to meet weekly for about an hour. 4. Begin journeying together. As with anything new, your friendship may feel a bit awkward at first. It may take a while to develop trust, comfortability and depth with another person. But I believe the benefits are worth it! How you use your time together to help each other's spiritual growth: If you need to get really practical, here is a loose outline for what to do and discuss. Feel free to alter it to best fit you.
In friendships, you are trusting that God is really the one bringing transformation. It is not your role or responsibility to change another person, but to act as partners pursuing God and walking the spiritual journey together. Print my free PDF guide to spiritual companionship. For more guides and tools, check out my library of resources. Questions: Do you have friends that help your spiritual growth? When you are in need of spiritual encouragement or support, who do you turn to? How do you want to make more space for this in your life? Please share in the comments. |
WELCOMEHi, I'm Larissa. I am an artist and spiritual director on the island of O'ahu in Hawai'i.
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