I have been coming across people who when approached with the idea of spiritual direction pass it off as another form of counseling, therapy, pastoral care or form of mentorship, to which they seem to already have enough of in their life. And although spiritual direction can lean into some of these ways of care and attentiveness those other ways of caring and healing are not a substitute for what a good spiritual director can bring to someone’s life. Here is a simple breakdown of what spiritual direction is not:

The framework offered by John gave language to what I had been living through. What I had interpreted as deconstruction began to look more like what he described as a “dark night”, a necessary process of purification in which God leads us beyond certainty and into love. When I first encountered John’s life and teachings, I found myself frustrated. This reframing of spiritual darkness as a deep, necessary, and ultimately grace-filled invitation led by the Holy Spirit, had been present within the Christian tradition for centuries. And yet, I had never been introduced to it. How many others were walking through similar seasons without language, without guidance, and without the reassurance that this path may actually be leading them closer to God?

If we are to hold any stable and grounding belief about God, it is this: God is love. And because God is limitless, the human mind can never fully grasp or contain Him. We cannot master God through understanding—we come to know Him through encounter, surrender, and love. And this realization should lead us into deep humility.

Today, we find ourselves in a very different kind of desert—one filled with noise, distraction, and constant activity. It takes intention to slow down, to become present, and to notice the movement and invitations of the Holy Spirit. God is still speaking, but we often struggle to make space to listen.