By Jin Rood
Care Partner for Japan, Spiritual Director, Asia Pacific Leader Development Team
As my husband, Mark, and I were completing our final year overseas, discerning where God was leading us next, I felt drawn toward a ministry of care. A mentor suggested I explore spiritual direction, and I was immediately intrigued. This form of caregiving focuses on deepening an individual’s relationship with God. Richard Foster explains, “Spiritual direction involves a process through which one person helps another person understand what God is doing and saying.”
The transformation I experienced during my first year in the spiritual direction credentialing program was profound. The program integrates not just the logical mind but also our emotions and imaginations, inviting all aspects of who we are into our encounters with God. Through this process, we don’t just understand God’s love; we experience it in transformative ways.
Just as Jesus prayed in John 17, He came to reveal the Father’s love to the world, and He continues this work today. As He said:
“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” — John 17:26
Spiritual direction has deepened my ability to discern God’s movements and invitations. It has also brought healing to wounds I hadn’t fully recognized—places where I unknowingly held onto lies that kept me stuck in dysfunctional relational patterns. During one residency gathering, I felt God speak to me: “Jin, invite me to the very moment you experienced these wounds.” I had experienced healing through prayer before, but inviting the Lord into these specific moments was different. The deep-rooted shame I carried—feeling unwanted—began to break free. Each day, I grow in the awareness of being loved by God, which has made me more present with others.
As I offer spiritual direction to staff both overseas and in the U.S., I am continually amazed by how personal and intimate God’s love is for each person. He speaks into their frustrations, wanderings, pain, and restlessness—breaking through barriers with gentleness and transforming them in ways I never imagined. It’s a privilege to witness the Lord’s incredible love for His people. His kindness and compassion are overwhelming.
One staff member shared, “I find myself waking up early, excited to spend time with the Lord. I have a renewed trust in Him, and I can feel my heart’s capacity to meet with Him growing.” This is true transformation: a work of the Holy Spirit, changing us from the inside out—not through a list of “shoulds,” but through His deep love.
