On a spiritual journey: Engaging with God through the expressive arts
Sheri Abel is a spiritual director, expressive arts facilitator and consultant, and French professor at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. She is a certified Open Studio Project facilitator (Evanston, IL), and received a Level 2 certificate in the Expressive Arts from Prairie Institute of Expressive Arts Therapy (Calgary, Alberta). She received her certificate in spiritual direction from the Christos Center for Spiritual Formation. Sheri is also an active and frequent contributor/leader for Christos programs, events and retreats, and a small group facilitator for Tending the Holy in the Chicago area.
How have you approached your spiritual journey?
I view my spiritual journey as a life-long journey with the Triune God. Getting to know Him more, getting to know myself more, growing deeper in our relationship, and being part of kingdom building. And over the years, having been introduced to spiritual formation, I’d also say that it is becoming more and more a contemplative way of living. Some ways that the Lord and I nurture our relationship is through time together in His Word, through times of solitude and of silence, meeting with my spiritual director, being in community, and also engaging with God in the expressive arts - creative writing/playing with words, sound, drama/dance/movement, and visual art —- whether it’s using color, making marks on paper, using material or images to create something.
It is such a beautiful gift how God created us as sensory-based beings – we experience the world through our bodies. Understanding is experienced not only in the mind but is discovered in the body as it is comprised of relationships between the senses, movement, thoughts, images, emotions, sensations and more. Whether we put words on paper, paint, move, create sound or music, the body is central to the experience. Engaging in the expressive arts is a way for me to recalibrate, to open my heart to His transformative and healing work. It is a freeing experience and has affected how I engage with the rest of my life. And it’s fun!
I don’t always have the words to express what I’m thinking or feeling and using a non-verbal medium such as color, texture, images, sound, and/or movement gives voice to it. And when I do have the words, the visual language adds another dimension, allowing me to notice even more what is going on within and grasp a truth more concretely. Spiritual formation/direction weaves in beautifully with the expressive arts practice
“What I love about the nature of the expressive arts is that it’s not about skill. It’s not about forcing a certain outcome. It is about process. It is about exploring, about being present to the moment, and for me, about relaxing in the truth that the Lord is always present, ministering to me. ”
What’s your Christos story?
When I think of my Christos story, I think of divine serendipity on my life journey. It was another unexpected gift from God that brings delight. I was first introduced to Christos through several spiritual directors who attend my church. At an Enneagram workshop, facilitated by two Christos alumnae, I picked up the brochure for the Tending the Holy program, prayed, discerned, and a year or two later, I applied. I graduated in 2016.
The Lord has also used Christos on my journey as I seek to embody more and more a contemplative way of being in the world. I learned how to offer a prayerful non-anxious prayerful safe presence to others – just as the Lord offers us; and I also learned to offer myself that type of presence, allowing me to be more present to the Lord and to others.
It’s a been a joy to continue being part of the Christos team, planning Christos-Chicago events, facilitating, and participating in the events.