“And so, if I were asked for my advice, I would say this: if a worthy inspiration arises in you, never hesitate to manifest it. Do not let fear rule your actions. If you give yourself over to God and practice detachment, there is no reason to be afraid that things won’t turn out. God is all-powerful. May he be blessed forever.” Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)
When I look to Teresa for advice, there are certain passages I turn to over and over again. “If a worthy inspiration arises in you, never hesitate to manifest it” is high on my list, and this is the second time I have used it for The Wisdom Project. When I wrote on this passage in May, God was whispering in my ear about a place for Rebecca to stay after graduate school. Today I am following Teresa’s advice again, and we’ll see where it leads me.
As you can probably tell from reading my blog, I am enjoying my spiritual direction class very much. On Saturday we had the first group meeting to begin our last year, and it was fun to see everyone and get caught up on what’s been happening in their lives. Even more importantly, we had a chance to begin practicing spiritual companioning and I am more convinced than ever that the Shalom Program is just where I belong.
Today I called my church to explore ways I could use my spiritual direction skills in the parish when my coursework is completed in May. Tomorrow I will be meeting with our visitation pastor, Sonja Anderson, for a more in-depth conversation about what the church needs and where my gifts might fit in. I am very inspired by this turn of events, and I’ll keep looking to Teresa as I make my way along the path. Until tomorrow I’ll keep Teresa’s advice in my heart and on my lips: “If you give yourself over to God and practice detachment, there is no reason to be afraid that things won’t turn out.”
I’ll keep you posted!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment