SPIRITUAL COMPANIONSHIP
“Spiritual friends help us most when they make clear that their job is to point the way, not to lead the way.” (David G. Benner)
“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” (author unknown)
A PILGRIMAGE JOURNEY …
Spiritual companionship is a JOURNEY two friends, or a small group of companions embark on together. As life unfolds its’ realities, joys, pains, obstacles and exhilarations, it becomes a JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY. We discover where we are, what God seems to be doing and what he is inviting us to.
Spiritual companionship adds a three-fold depth to our pilgrimages through the terrains of life. First, our companions become our SAFE PLACES where we can be ourselves and retell our stories in whatever state we are in. Amidst the journey of retelling, they secondly become our SEARCH PARTIES searching and rummaging for God. We seek and discover where God is in our story and recognize what He is up to!! Finally, they become our SIGN POSTS, pointing us to God, pointing us to the song in our heart, and singing it back to us.
A PILGRIM’S SEARCH…
The ADVENTURE of spiritual companionship begins with us TRAVELLING WITH GOD (living our life as pilgrims, not as tourists). As pilgrims on our journey, we ask each other, “Where is God in this experience?”
We can start by asking: “What has been life giving?”, “What has been less life giving?” These questions help us to be in touch with ourselves and where we are. From there, we can move on to ask, “Where are God’s fingerprints in all of this?” QUESTIONS become our keys to opening doors.
We can embark on these questions on our own, but with spiritual companions, there are extra eyes, ears, and hearts to provide safety, to search for God at work, and to hold up signposts for us. As we progress, we can go from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7)!
A JOURNEY TO RECOVER …
As we were growing and flourishing in East Asia, we were wary of GOING OFF COURSE! We might end up thinking we had made it on our own based on good programs. Or we could become discouraged in pioneering situations thinking that things were simply impossible or too much! So, we remembered the legacy we received from our elders, especially Koichi Ohtawa San. He always asked staff workers and movements the questions above.
As a Regional Team, we decided to intentionally look for God at work… It has become a natural thing to ask each other, “What has God been doing?” As national movements, we have become companions for each other’s movements. How rich to see GOD’S FINGERPRINTS all over East Asia!
Annette Arulrajah
IFES Associate General Secretary