Roots and Rest: My Encounter Experience
As I am writing this I am a few weeks away from finishing Encounter. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this course has been part of a journey to a new path in life - a different way of living even. I look back to the beginning and remember all of the questions that I came with.
Whilst I have been a Christian all of my life, I was carrying a restlessness in me that lasted for years. Something didn’t feel right. I still held onto my faith in God, but I didn’t feel that I could find much guidance as to how we actually live this out.
In this fast-paced, anxiety ridden world, how do we as Christians live from a place of rootedness and depth?
How do we offer the world something different, something real and authentic, beyond simply turning up to church on a Sunday?
And how do we create spaces for people who might not feel comfortable in church to explore their faith?
I heard this desire echoed around me wherever I went; a hunger for more, but matched with a collective sense of exhaustion as well.
With my husband training in ministry, we ended up doing four big city moves in our first ten years of marriage. Thankfully we are settled now, but I couldn’t get away from the stories and experiences I was hearing at each place we went to: a sense that across many churches we are paddling in the shallows of what life with God can really look like, but at the same time feeling burned out.
I came to Encounter looking for two things. I had an excitement around the teaching, a chance to look at ancient wisdom and traditions that in many ways have been forgotten, alongside some modern psychology and theology. But I also had a desire to walk alongside others as they wrestled and explored, and I wanted good quality training in the ministry of Spiritual Direction because of this.
“On Encounter we were able to hear stories from the voiceless, from those who have felt on the margins or excluded in some way, and to share our own stories as well. ”
I look back on the last three years and I am so grateful that I had a chance to explore my deep questions and to shine a light on the restlessness within. I found it to be a non-judgmental space where I could gradually unravel my whole self.
The biggest thing I will take away is a sense of the depth of God’s love and the invitation to join in that love. This love is more than wishy-washy sentiment, it is what our souls are longing for - what we were made for. And it reaches to those who, for whatever reason, find themselves on the margins. This year we have been looking at difference and diversity, and I came away with a sense of how important it is to create safe places where those who feel excluded can explore their faith and spirituality. Church sadly isn’t a place where everyone feels safe or can even manage to attend, and yet spiritual direction can be a ministry where people can come and find acceptance and freedom to explore.
“ I haven’t found all of the answers I was looking for, but I do have a sense that the questions are ok. And in fact, they might be the very place that I can find God...”
On Encounter we were able to hear stories from the voiceless, from those who have felt on the margins or excluded in some way, and to share our own stories as well. I began to question how we can reach out to those who might not normally come to direction; how do wecreate safe places for the neuro-diverse, and that reach across cultural and class barriers, for example. Encounter has given me a safe space to wrestle with some big questions, and to train in helping others with their own exploring as well. It has helped to set me off on a path that feels slower, deeper and more hopeful than I have ever experienced before. As I end my final year I am coming away with a simple sense of thankfulness. I haven’t found all of the answers I was looking for, but I do have a sense that the questions are ok. And in fact, they might be the very place that I can find God...
Questions for you and your directee
What ancient wisdom or traditions have you found meaningful in your modern spiritual practice?
How do you balance the desire for deep spiritual exploration with the realities of daily life and responsibilities?
How do you maintain a sense of rootedness and depth in a fast-paced and anxiety-ridden world?
What questions have you carried with you on your faith journey, and how have they evolved over time?
Anya Briggs
Anya is a third year in the Encounter course, as well as a mum to three young boys. She enjoys writing, and blogs about life, faith and parenting at www.thelittlepause.wordpress.com