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{"id":640,"date":"2013-11-17T03:54:18","date_gmt":"2013-11-17T08:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/crywoof\/?p=640"},"modified":"2014-12-23T23:22:22","modified_gmt":"2014-12-24T04:22:22","slug":"640","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/crywoof\/2013\/11\/640\/","title":{"rendered":"Bootstrapping the Interior Life: Direction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A couple of weeks ago I compared the interior life to a kitchen remodel<\/a>. You\u2019ve got a skilled workman doing a complicated job, and while he\u2019s responsible for the work, you still need to cooperate with him or the job won\u2019t get done.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another way that the interior life is similar to a kitchen remodel: it\u2019s not always obvious what\u2019s going on. In fact, it\u2019s usually not obvious what\u2019s going on. Some weeks it seems like there\u2019s a flurry of activity to no great effect. Other weeks, it seems like nothing is happening at all. Once in a while, you actually see signs of progress. Most of the work goes on while you aren\u2019t looking, and many crucial details are hidden from view.<\/p>\n

This is one of the reasons why feelings aren\u2019t a reliable guide to your progress in the interior life<\/a>: you simply don\u2019t have enough insight into the process for your gut feel to be dependable.<\/p>\n

And this is why it is useful to seek out the help of a skilled and knowledgeable spiritual director. (I am not a spiritual director. I\u2019m just this guy with a blog.) He knows what to expect, and how to explain it, and which questions to ask to find out where you\u2019re at, and what to suggest for you to do. Most especially, he can see when you\u2019ve gotten wrapped around your own axle, help you unwrap yourself, and get you moving again.<\/p>\n

If you continue to pursue the interior life (and we all should!) you\u2019re going to want to find a director\u2014if only to have someone to talk to, who understands what you\u2019re experiencing and won\u2019t look at you funny. But keep beavering away in the meantime; don\u2019t wait until you find one. You\u2019re learning to love Jesus Christ, who died for you and through whom all things were created. He will see that you get any help you need.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"