Inner Ascent Spiritual Direction
“You have made us for yourself…and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Saint Augustine
What is Spiritual Direction?
Spiritual direction is about tending to your relationship with God. It gives you a come-as-you-are space where you can be reoriented to God by learning to slow down, listen deeply, and acknowledge the state of your soul. It is where your faith meets your lived experience, a place to get real and talk about what’s actually going on inside of you without the fear of judgment, condemnation, or being fixed. In spiritual direction, with the companionship of a spiritual director, you are invited to embark on the inner journey of coming to know the God who created you, and in the process, you will come to know your true self.
“True self-knowledge leads to the knowledge of God. Without self-examination, we remain strangers to both ourselves and God.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.“ (Mt 11:28, MSG)
Sometimes we find that we are better at doing for God than we are at being with God. Spiritual direction is a safe place for you to be honest about how tired you really are or how dry your faith has been.
“I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.“ (Mt 11:29, MSG)
You may have read these verses many times, yet real rest continues to elude you. Spiritual direction will open up space for you to find the rest that your soul has been longing for.
“I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Mt 11:30, MSG)
Maybe it’s hard to believe that the easy yoke of Jesus truly exists. In spiritual direction you can open the door to the spiritual realities that you’ve heard about and yet rarely, if ever, experience.
About Me
Michelle Gowland
I met Jesus at 26 and my life has never been the same since. I spent nearly fifteen years in retail management before moving into church ministry, where I served for ten years as a Celebrate Recovery Ministry Leader in Waterloo, Ontario. I have a BRE in Counselling from Emmanuel Bible College (2020) and an MDiv in Spiritual Formation from Tyndale Seminary (2024). I also studied Thanatology (study of grief, bereavement, death and dying) as my minor at Tyndale. I am a Certified Spiritual Director (CSD), certified by CCPC Global | Canadian Council of Professional Certification.
My favourite verse in the whole Bible says, “At last we have freedom, for Christ has set us free! We must always cherish this truth and firmly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past” (Galatians 5:1, TPT). Sadly, the lived-reality of being free to be who God created us to be continues to elude many people. This is why I am passionate about the ministry of spiritual direction. Each of us was created with purpose and for a purpose, and I desire to walk with people as they discern the voice of God in their lives and to learn to live as freely and fully as possible.
“A spiritual director’s role is to invite the directee to recognize and respond to the voice of God in their lives.”
Trevor Hudson
Banner Photo by Vitaliy Paykov on Unsplash