Being the Beloved - A Monthly Blog from CFDM Northwest
By Becce Bettridge, Spiritual Director
“Watch out for the rock!” I heard my husband yell from behind as we careened down the river into the massive boulder to our left. Instinctively, shielding my body from a possible painful blow, I did EXACTLY what our guide had told us NOT to do. I leaned away from the rock, causing me to lose my center of gravity, and almost like in slow motion, I felt my kayak capsize. My head went underwater while my body, slowly but uncontrollably, followed.
Once in the water, my first thought was to get my head out from under the overturned kayak and see if my husband, Joe, was also above water. He was. Very quickly, our guide was beside us, guiding us both to the nearby shore and helping us get our feet firmly on the solid rocky riverbed to stand up and get reoriented. Thank God we had no injuries, and the river was not even that cold.
At the beginning of our trip, our guide had carefully gone over safety guidelines before we got into our inflatable kayaks for our 3-hour guided trip through the Redwoods of Northern California on the Smith River. He said, “When the current sweeps your kayak up against a rock, be sure to LEAN INTO the rock so that you will maintain your balance and sail right on past.” Apparently, this maneuver is easier said than done.
As our family later reflected on this instruction and our mid-river swim, my daughter reminded me that to “lean in” is a phrase we often hear. “Lean in” to a new or challenging relationship. “Lean in” to a task that may take some extra thought, time, and discernment. To “lean in” means to persevere though, and even embrace, a situation. Our challenge is that leaning into difficult tasks might not be your first “go-to” behavior. But “leaning in” is making a choice that will allow you to stay in your “kayak” when you encounter challenging life situations.
Helping our directees “lean in” to their lives through listening well is our calling as spiritual directors. Through the “art of the good question,” and trusting that God is constantly and continuously drawing that person into wholeness, we help our directees experience the buoyant balance of their life with God. Phrases like, “Can you tell me more about that?” or “How was that for you?” open the possibility that neither you nor your directee need shy away from life’s protruding rocks. God’s loving care is always present; our work as spiritual directors is to come beside our directees, to help them feel-out the solid ground, to encourage them not to be afraid, and, above all, to offer them the (sometimes counter-intuitive) opportunity to “lean in” to God’s love for them.
Would you like to meet with a spiritual director who will walk with you as you lean-in to your life and listen for how God is with? You can find a referral list of spiritual directors who are available to meet with you here on our website. Finding a Spiritual Director — CFDM Northwest
If you have questions about spiritual direction, you can contact us at CFDMnorthwest@gmail.com.
Are you being encouraged by God to lean-in? Post in the comments below or hop on over to our Facebook page and share with one another.