Sensible Shoes: A Story About the Spiritual Journey

As I was biking home from my classes back in May, I ran into my friend, Nikki, who I had not seen in years. She talked about her journey since I last saw here, and I told her I was a spiritual director. She said, "Oh that is like a character in the book I read while I was in Greece." When I got home, I looked for it in my library, and they had both a hard copy and a Kindle book. So, I checked it out.

For anyone who doesn't understand what spiritual direction is all about, this is a great book to understand both group and individual spiritual direction through the lives of four women who join a spiritual formation group.

There is...

Hannah (Type Two - Helper) - Hannah, a full time pastor, who is "forced" to take a sabbatical by her boss because he can see how exhausted she is, but she cannot.

Meg (guessing a Type Six - Anxious Loyalist) - a widow and recent empty-nester who has not ventured out into the world due to fear. 

Mara (not sure for her - she was the least developed of the characters, maybe a Type Seven?) - a woman in a difficult marriage with a difficult upbringing who looked for love in all the wrong places.

Charissa (Type One - Perfectionist) - A hard-working graduate student who wants to always get things right and questions the whole spiritual journey and exercises the spiritual director suggests. 

It is not the most captivating story, but I liked this example of spiritual formation in COMMUNITY and one-on-one spiritual direction which, when combined, can lead to wonderful growth. I would give this to someone who wanted to learn more about what would be involved in spiritual direction and a spiritual formation group. 

By the way, I do this with three groups right now (Order of the Mustard Seed Year of Preparation Cohort, The Second Half Collaborative, and Body and Soul Companion). I also meet one-on-one with women aged 25-70. It has been so lovely to walk with people!

This blog had quotes for each main character and questions that I found helpful when I was having a hard time getting them all straight in my head:

Hannah: a pastor

"You told the congregation that pruning isn't punishment -  it's improvement.  You reminded us that pruning is God's way of shaping us to become even more like Christ.  Jesus said the branches that get pruned are the one's bearing fruit.  And you're bearing fruit, Hannah. Lot's of it.  This sabbatical punishment - it's pruning.It's time to let God care for you and shape you so you can become even more like Christ."  [16]  
              
Are you a "Hannah"?  Are you so involved in church activities/ministries that you are worn out?


Meg: a widow and empty nester

"Becca's lively presence at home had kept Meg happily preoccupied.  There had been so much to do together, so many preparations to make for the overseas adventure.Becca's joy and enthusiasm had temporarily buoyed Meg's spirits above her own grief.  But now the empty house engulfed her with dreadful stillness. Mother was also gone. Still gone." [10] 
       

Are you a "Meg"?  Are you carrying around grief from something that was lost to you?

Mara: in a difficult marriage

"Agitation is also God's gift to us, Mara, strange as it sounds.  Imagine yourself standing in a doorway, at a threshold. Your discontent can move you out of the old and into the new.  When you reach the end of yourself and say, 'I'm tired of living this way. I want something more!' then God is there, helping you to let go and move forward." Does that make sense?" [33]


Are you a "Mara"?  Are there situations from your past that continue to affect your present life in a negative way?

Charissa: graduate student; perfectionist

 "'Apart from the spiritual formation recommendations I made in class, why are you interested in going?' She thought for a moment and then answered, 'To learn.' He stopped walking and turned his riveting dark eyes upon her. 'Wrong answer,' he said, smiling enigmatically.  Was he teasing her? Though she was several inches taller than her professor, Charissa suddenly felt rather small.  Lowering her gaze from his eyes, she focused instead on his neatly trimmed goatee and waited for him to explain himself. 'Go to encounter God, Charissa, or don't go at all.'" [24]


Are you a "Charissa"?  Are you consumed with perfectionism and knowing the "right" answers?