Supremely, spiritual directors/mentors/pastors are persons who have a sense of being 'established' in God. Otherwise they are too dangerous to be allowed into the soul space of others.
Interpretation
True spiritual guides must have a deep connection to their faith to be safe mentors for others.
Richard Foster emphasizes the importance of spiritual directors, mentors, or pastors being firmly rooted in their faith in God. Those who lack this grounding can negatively impact others' spiritual journeys, making it crucial for such individuals to have a profound sense of their own spiritual establishment before guiding others.
In practice
In a sermon about choosing the right spiritual mentor, this quote highlights the essentials of being grounded in faith.
Pride is one of the socially acceptable sins in some corners of the evangelical culture. It's just straight-out ego gratification - how important I am; whether my name gets on the building or on the TV program or in the magazine article.
Leadership is an act of submission to God. To be a leader means listening to all kinds of people and situations. Out of that listening, we are hoping to discern the mind of God as best we can. This is the price of leadership - it's an act of sacrifice. So leadership is part and parcel of the work of submission to God.
We cannot live, we cannot look at the truth about ourselves without letting ourselves be looked at and generated by Christ in daily Eucharistic Adoration.
Do not have as your motive the desire to be known as a praying man. Get an inner chamber in which to pray where no one knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret.
Prayer, as a means of drawing ever new strength from Christ, is concretely and urgently needed.
There is no need to get to a place of prayer; pray wherever you are.
Indeed, when God's glory dwells in me, there is nothing too far away, nothing too painful, nothing too strange or too familiar that it cannot contain and renew by its touch. Every time I recognize the glory of God in me and give it space to manifest itself to me, all that is human can be brought there and nothing will be the same again.
In using all means, seek God alone. In and through every outward thing, look only to the power of His Spirit, and the merits of His Son. Beware you do not get stuck in the work itself; if you do, it is all lost labor. Nothing short of God can satisfy your soul. Therefore, fix on Him in all, through all, and above all...Remember also to use all means as means-as ordained, not for their own sake.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.