Support Systems
Since the beginning of time, humans have needed support. It’s not good to be alone… all alone… without human connection. God declared this at creation, and we know it to be true. Just as a vine searches out the support of a tree or a trellis to give it direction and stability, so too our lives reach further and find order and thrive within a healthy support system.
Most of us are born into a family that supports us as we begin life. Yet, as we grow and launch out on our own, we make choices that define our support system. I recognize my own support structure in my family, in a few select close friendships, in work relationships, in a faith community. And the need for support may be the reason why I have a love for my work as a spiritual director.
Spiritual direction is a practice that calls me to intentionally partner with others on this journey through life. This is a gift I both give and receive in active listening rarely found elsewhere in the world, even rarely found within church life. It is a way to tend the holy in the midst of daily life. It searches out and recognizes God present in all things, inviting us always to lean into the grace of the Divine.
We can try to do life on our own, but oh, the benefits we reap in community with others… showing up to explore our own lives, to know the Divine within, and to respond to the call to belong with others.
For Reflection:
How have you built your own support system? Who does it include?
Is there an area of life that feels like it needs more support? Where might you reach out to find that support?
Where are the safe place, the listening spaces where you feel heard and seen as you are, where you are?
