hi, my name is
Yoori Shen
I am not a teacher of spirituality. Rather, I am here as your fellow traveller, inviting you to come to the presence of the loving One who is beyond us.
​
Here is a glimpse of my journey of welcoming and exploring my inner journey and God's presence in my life.
​
My Story
I was born in Korea and came to Canada as an international student when I was 17. I have a tender place in my heart for those who are relocated and are apart from their community. This tender place led me to be in a full-time Christian campus ministry with international students in Canada for the first ten years of my career.
When I started receiving spiritual direction, I was experiencing burnout from the ministry work. It was difficult for me to continue the work because of a lack of joy and energy, and it was even more challenging to accept that I was in a place where I could no longer serve the work I had devoted for almost 10 years. I remember being filled with joy and passion for my ministry work. I felt so close to God during that time.
"Then, who am I to God when I am no longer capable of continuing the precious work God appointed to me?"
When I experienced burnout, I was caught up in the thought that God wouldn’t be close to me anymore because I had failed. I confess that at some point in my faith journey, I felt like I figured God out.
I thought that I understood myself and God well. However, experiencing burnout drove me to a place where I needed to deepen my understanding of myself and God.
In my own journey, Spiritual direction helped me to deepen my understanding of myself; I have learned that I tend to be afraid of having "negative feelings." Thus, I have a tendency to escape from them by using my own defence mechanisms, such as numbing myself by keeping myself busy. However, I have learned that those "buried feelings" consciously and unconsciously affect the way I relate to myself, others and with God.
Also, Spiritual direction deepens my understanding of God, whom I now see as mysterious rather than 'figured out' because One's love is beyond my comprehension.
​
I believe it's important to create space for God's restorative work in every aspect of my life, and I see it as a life-long journey. I still face resistance when dealing with "difficult feelings." Yet, I can face these emotions because I've also experienced the healing presence of the Loving One, who gently encourages me to address them for healing and transformation.
So, Spiritual direction has been a journey to listen to my heart and experience God’s loving presence there.
It's a journey of healing and blessing.
We need a fellow traveller who would walk with us and continue pointing to the “mysterious One” who invites and directs us on this journey.