When the Found Feel Lost

I’m directionally challenged. I don’t seem to have the internal spatial orientation of those like my husband, who have an innate sense of direction. For example, if I drive to an unfamiliar destination, I often freeze at an intersection on my return home, unsure which way to turn. At least that was true before I discovered GPS. In that moment, a new world opened to me! GPS not only shows me—it tells me—which way to go! How cool is that? 

By way of comparison, not all of us possess an innate sense of spiritual direction. We often lack confidence in which way the Spirit is leading us; where we are, where we’re going, or which path God desires for us to take. I observed this quandary recently when I facilitated a retreat for three young residents from a local church. These were the questions they were asking, and they’re one of the many reasons meeting with a trained spiritual director is so helpful. In spiritual direction, we learn to tune in to and follow the innate, internal “global positioning system” (GPS): the direction of the Spirit, the actual Spiritual Director.  

In January of 2021, while most of us were still reeling from the pandemic, I wrote an essay entitled, Why We Need Spiritual Direction—More than Ever! Think of this as Part II, written now amid the most chaotic, tumultuous political and spiritual era most of us have ever seen. At the beginning of Part II, let me state where I hope to end. Anyone seeking to navigate individual life challenges and/or the current political mayhem in a way that honors Jesus will undoubtedly discover many gifts from meeting with a trained spiritual director. 

Here’s why: Spiritual direction helps you locate yourself in your current geography.

As we travel the path of our lives, we will naturally encounter new and difficult terrain. Just ask any parent trying to adjust to a newborn’s sleeping habits. In fact, the topography of our lives will be, if not already, pockmarked by numerous challenging circumstances: health crises, relationship conflicts, deaths and losses, and both wanted and unwanted transitions. On top of all this, something is happening in our country and within Christendom and American churches right now that feels particularly disorienting and vexing. I’ve often said I’ve never witnessed a time quite like this. You, too?  

I regularly sit with Christians who feel lost—spiritually speaking —who are sincere, devoted followers of Jesus yet find themselves perplexed by the context of their own lives and their current church/faith tradition. They’ve been told the only way is through “the narrow gate” of their existing affiliation. All other gates lead to hell! To God’s displeasure and their eternal separation. (Matthew 7:13-14) 

I certainly know what it’s like to feel adrift spiritually. I’ve stood at crossroads like those described above, feeling drawn toward a more spacious way yet fearing it all the same. I can also feel spiritually off-center and ungrounded when in the throes of discouraging circumstances. Right now I’m dealing with a health issue—the gradual onset of a muffled sensation, tinnitus, and hearing loss in my left ear. As I processed this unexpected intruder with my spiritual director, I spoke out what was buried beneath an avalanche of swirling thoughts and feelings.

I named the elements of my inner landscape aloud. “I feel overwhelmed and sad.” “I struggle to trust my own intuitions.” “It’s disorienting to be with a group of people.” “I might have to live with this the rest of my life.” “Yesterday I sensed God’s gift of grace.” As I shared this tangle of thoughts and feelings, my spiritual director’s calm, solid presence helped ground me. Her deep listening and attuned presence invited me to locate myself. “Ah! Here’s where I am!” 

Before we can discern the spiritual direction within us, we must first locate ourselves and answer “Where am I right now?” It’s a perennial question, really. “Where are you?” is the question God asked Adam in Gen. 3:9, and God’s Spirit continually asks us that same question today. Through the ministry of spiritual direction, we engage this question by verbally excavating the often-rocky terrain of our interior world—our deeply buried emotions, intuitions, desires, and fears—and meeting God in the midst of them.  

While current culture often draws us away from our story—focusing our attention on what lies outside ourselves—spiritual direction draws us back into our story and invites us to meet God there. Anyone seeking to navigate life in a way that honors Jesus will undoubtedly find meeting with a spiritual director a valuable gift. If this interests you, visit our list of Affiliates, or reach out to me for a free consultation (bethbooram@fallcreekabbey.org) to help you find someone well-suited to your needs. 

P.S. If you’d be interested in practicing a spiritual GPS or scan of your own life, let me recommend the Spiritual Location Exercise. I sometimes offer this practice in spiritual direction, and a few of my directees use it to prepare for our meetings. It helps them, like a spiritual GPS, to identify where they are on the map, so that they can begin to notice and follow where the Spirit is leading. 

Warmly, Beth Booram

The Lily Pad

October 27, 2026