Part 1, Chapter 4
I drive a lot of miles. I need to be able to trust that my car will get me from point A to point B with no problems. I know how to do simple maintenance such as oil changes, tire rotations and filling the car with gas. Still, I have a trustworthy mechanic that I rely on to make sure this happens. Sometimes my mechanic tells me there is more to be done that I have no clue about. So I do what he suggests because he is the expert in these matters. My mechanic helps to keep me on the road so I am able to travel where I need to go. (Thanks, be to God).
Like a mechanic for my car, I need someone to rely on that can help me to continue my journey toward God. I look for someone that is in love with God. This director of my soul should be wise, prudent and faithful. “He must need[ to] be full of love, of wisdom and of discretion” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 8). I don’t just want anyone to journey with me and lead me closer to God, I want the very best because then I have someone who is close to God. So we want an expert (like my mechanic) who will help us to journey. We want a Spiritual Director, or a Confessor, or a Spiritual Friend. These people help us to grow in the interior life. They help us to hear the voice of God. They point out the way and they help us in tried and true ways to follow the voice of God in our lives.
It would be great if we didn’t need help, but the fact is that we all need help sometimes and that is what a spiritual director does for us in the spiritual life. They help us to be able to grow more in love with God. They show us that this spiritual life can be lived. Now, not everyone can have a Spiritual Director, so a good Confessor is the next best option (many times people come to confession for more than just confession, and so many times the Confessor is acting as Spiritual Director in the context of confession). Sometimes there is not a good Confessor available, than a Spiritual Friend would be the next best thing. Be careful to select a friend who is really growing with the Lord and who has much, much experience.
We all need help sometimes fixing some things in our lives. Like a good mechanic, a Spiritual Director can help us to be the very best that we can be in the interior life.