Devotional

Living the Spiritual Life In The Margins Rev. Dona Johnson |November 8, 2025 Do you ever use the margins in books or notebooks to capture questions, highlight a keen insight or write down what sparked your attention to explore later? Today, many Bibles are designed with wide margins so the reader can write something that inspired them, or use those margins as way to journal thoughts and feelings. Margins also give our eyes a break, slow us down and create visual places to pause or rest. When assessing the busyness of our lives, the word “margin” can be used to reflect on how we order our daily lives—how wide a margin we give ourselves for rest and solitude?  In spiritual formation, it can’t be stressed enough the importance that rest plays in our spiritual lives. To create margins within each day or several times a week where one can reflect and examine the ebb and flow of God’s grace and mercy actively at work in our lives is essential to spiritual growth—where much of the time transformation happens. Margins used as a metaphor for the spiritual life means giving yourself time to enjoy the journey, it also means giving yourself breathing room, space to prayerfully reflect on God’s presence in your life. Between the constant demands of life, ministry and family with little or no margin for rest, one can easily be stretched to the max in one’s time, energy and finances. When our lives (time and energy) are filled to capacity, we can suffer burnout and the joy that was once there in our ministry may make us feel discouraged, a bit edgy and deprived of our first order calling—what brought us to ministry in the first place.  To create margins for living a joy-filled life, and joy is the hallmark of the Christian faith, one must intentionally learn to say no to some things—without guilt. We must come to grips with our purpose—who we are, where we are going, what we are willing to do and not do—this is the ability to self-differentiate—or what is called boundaries. Burnout especially in ministry is a constant struggle, particularly with pastors. The demands are great. So, how did Jesus create margin in his life and ministry? Jesus said no. He listened to his body. When healing the multitudes of people drained him of energy, Jesus created breathing room. Luke tells us “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (5:15-16). Another example of Jesus creating margin is given to us in Mark 1:35, “After an exhausting day of ministry to the sick. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Everyone was looking for Jesus, but after his time in prayer he told his disciples that it was time for them to move on to another village. Again, after Jesus fed the 5000, and before Peter walked to him on the water. “After [Jesus] had dismissed [the crowds], he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was [still] there alone” (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46).  Psychologist, spiritual director and Pastor Bill Gaultiere says, “The priority of Jesus’ solitude and silence is everywhere in the Gospels. It’s how he began his ministry. It’s how he made important decisions. It’s how he dealt with troubling emotions like grief. It’s how he dealt with the constant demands of his ministry and cared for his soul. It’s how he prepared for his death on the cross.” When was the last time you said no to something in order to give yourself a margin for rest and solitude all in order to give renewed energy and vitality to your ministry?StillPointe is a spiritual formation ministry offering people of faith spiritual direction in the Trinitarian tradition. www.stillpointesouldshpherdingRev. Dona Johnson is a trained spiritual director through Selah—in the contemplative tradition. She is also a stewardship specialist and generosity coach for the NALC. Rev. Dona Johnson |November 8, 2025

What is Spiritual Direction? Rev. Dona Johnson |November 1, 2025 In the first centuries of the church, those gifted in discernment and spiritual guidance by the call to live life in prayerful solitude were known as the desert fathers and mothers. They chose to leave the protection and luxuries of the ecclesiastical structures to seek a more modest lifestyle, away from worldly distractions and material possessions. They migrated to the wilderness areas of Egypt to better hear the voice of God. Some lived in caves devoting themselves to the ascetic life of prayer, silence and solitude. Many people journeyed great distances seeking spiritual guidance from these Christian mystics. Through the centuries, this type of spiritual guidance became known as spiritual direction—helping people at all stages life and circumstances discern the deep and abiding presence of God. Spiritual direction holds open a holy space between the director and directee (person seeking God’s presence) where distractions are muted, where prayerful listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance can be heard and felt in the heart, thus experiencing a deeper intimacy with God—discovering the spiritual longings, confessions, laments and joys of our hearts—souls. Is spiritual direction biblical? Yes. There are many biblical accounts. One great example is Jesus’ soul -searching conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus deeply listened to what was stirring in her heart. He crossed cultural boundaries to reach her. He redeemed the integrity of her personhood. He did not see her as an outcast a sinner filled with shame and guilt. No, instead he saw her as the image-bearer God created her to be. And he offered a new type of water—living water, a spiritual and eternal water—God himself (John 4:7-26). Dallas Willard, former chair of philosophy at USC was once asked to describe Jesus in one word. He waited quietly for a moment and then said, “Relaxed. Jesus was relaxed.” Jesus moved through his ministry with ease. He was fully engaged in the lives of people but was also fully relaxed (detached). Why? His relaxed confidence was born out of prayerful solitude. He sought out alone-time to be directed by his Father in prayer—seeking guidance, wisdom and strength. Spiritual direction is not: counseling giving advice Bible study preparing a sermon. judgemental It is less about talking and more about intentional listening, pausing to slow down the pace of our thoughts, our rationalizing to create a safe and spacious space for God’s voice (sometimes a whisper) to speak into the heart of the person seeking greater intimacy with God. A spiritual direction session could begin with this one powerful question: what is the state of your soul right now? What keeps surfacing that needs to be brought into the light? What is it that you need to truly attentive to? It could be relational/family, feelings of discontent, a crisis, unmet longings, indecision . . .In spiritual direction, the director encourages the directee to come into a wide-open space of solitude, where the Holy Spirit guides and directs the directee to become more aware of the following: Long-term effects of inner attitudes Spiritual trials/stressors Unresolved grief or resentment Sometimes we cannot accept others because we do not accept ourselves. Fear of being crushed by our own inadequacies. Learning the relaxed unforced rhythms of God’s grace. Accepting ourselves, as we are rather than the need to dominate. Discovering our true self–Christlikeness, rather than our false self: dominating, ego-driven and shaping ourselves around what others expect us to be rather than what God is calling us to. It is nearly impossible to do effective ministry without someone to companion with, hold open a neutral space, free of judgment where God’s presence can be known in more intimate and life-giving ways. It’s about getting in touch with what is really going on in your heart. It allows questions, confessions and needling vices and longings to surface. It is about getting in-touch with the deep stirrings of your heart, discovering your true self, and not what you think others want you to be. Intentional prayer and transparency in the presence of God and a spiritual guide can be both life-giving and transformational. In a world wracked with over- working, health problems, repeated negative news cycles, relational conflicts and screen fatigue—all of these things can drain us emotionally and rob our souls of joy—peace with God. For many of us we see ministry as doing for God rather than being with God. It is so easy to become functionaries in ministry, finding ourselves caught up in the business of church rather than being the spiritual guides God calls us to be. Many people go days without a real genuine conversation about the tensions and tug-a-war issues of faith and life. In a world that is hyper-focused on outcome driven performance, a spiritual director can slow down the pace, guide people of faith into a place of prayerful awareness, the still point where God’s heart meets our heart in life-giving ways. Spiritual direction helps you have more empathy for other relationships, helps you have more grace for yourself—self-love, helps you to move your faith from being purely transactional to transformational and it is extremely beneficial when you are stuck in a place of indecision, dissatisfaction lack of belonging or discerning God’s call. Rev. Dona Johnson is a trained spiritual director through Selah—in the contemplative tradition. She is also a stewardship specialist and generositycoach for the NALC. Rev. Dona Johnson |November 1, 2025