retreats & spiritual direction

I’ve been doing a lot of arts and crafts retreats recently, and I love them so much. They bring together two things I love: arts and crafts, and talking about, and simply being with, Jesus. And I’m finding that they can be a really gentle introduction to contemplation, especially for people who might feel a little intimidated by spiritual direction.

These retreats do have some spiritual direction woven into them. We sit together in silence and listen for God. We share what’s on our hearts and what we’re noticing. We don’t try to solve problems, for ourselves or for one another. We simply offer each other our presence.

But retreats and spiritual direction aren’t quite the same thing.

A retreat gives you a place to slow down, play, make something, and notice what might be stirring in you. Spiritual direction gives you more space to stay with those things—to wonder about them with someone who is listening alongside you, and to pay attention over time to what God might be doing in your life.

I would hate for someone to discover that they love this kind of contemplative space at a retreat and think that means they don’t need spiritual direction. If anything, I hope the retreats might make spiritual direction feel a little less mysterious or intimidating.

So I guess what I’m saying is: you should do both. 😊