O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Psalm 34:3
Who points you to the Lord? Who helps you see The One Who Is Invisible? Who pulls life into perspective when the “muchness and manyness” of life fogs you in? Who helps you hold on to Jesus when you're not strong enough to do it on your own?
Who magnifies the Lord for you?
Friends
Mentors
Pastors
Teachers
Counselors
Family members
Writers (many of whom are long gone but whose words stand the test of time)
Musicians
Artists
During a very tough seasons in my life, a woman named Beverly met with me a few times and helped me process some very daunting changes and challenges in my personal and ministry life. I’ve probably only spent a total of 24 hours with her, yet she was a very strategic influence my life.
Whom do you trust with your soul? If you have even one or two “Beverlies” in your life, you are blessed.
I desperately need other Beverlies in my life. Do you have someone in your life with whom you can discuss what it means to live the Christian life? Who can help your process the frustrating dry wilderness experiences, excitement, difficult decisions, spiritual breakthroughs, seasons of stumbling, watershed moments, doubts, pain, gray areas, and bewildering situations? Who can remind you of truth, point you toward the Lord and help you see and hear God when all seems foggy or silent? Someone who will magnify God for you?
I am often asked, “Should I have a spiritual director?” Yes. Many. I think we need a variety people throughout our lives who can stimulate and challenge and direct and listen and pray and bounce around the reality of knowing and serving the Lord. It takes a lot of wise input to finish well in that long obedience in the same direction.
No one person has arrived. No one person can provide the insight I need to walk with Christ. We need different people who can help point us toward God. Men and women, clergy and lay, friends and family, younger and older, who connect with us in openness, humility, mutual encouragement--not just top-down direction. Each person brings a unique perspective and shines light from a new angle. I have had the privilege of studying and learning and living alongside so many incredibly faithful believers, and each one has contributed to my understanding of what it means to live in Christ.
To whom I shall open my soul?
Do they have a solid knowledge of the whole of Scripture that acts as a grid by which everything is filtered? Just because someone is a spiritual director does not mean they are Biblically based, Christ-centered, or even walk with Jesus. So many times I have heard people report unhealthy, heretical, or flat-out sinful conclusions, and am told, “My spiritual director told me”. Going deep apart from the Lord and His Word can lead to endless and possibly paralyzing introspection, a temptation toward self-indulgence and even self-deception, and strengthening of my flesh rather than dependency on God.
On the other hand, if they spout Bible verses as pat answers and simple solutions, without genuinely listening to you or considering what the Holy Spirit might be whispering, bless them and step away. Am I being conformed to the image of Christ? Or to a legalistic cookie-cutter mold? Do they help me wrestle with the really rough challenges of faith? Do I leave with a profound peace and a desire to serve God in greater joy and freedom? Or with a set of do’s and don’ts and a miserable case of shame and false guilt? The Word can be used to lead us to truth—or to beat us up.
Does this person foster a dependence upon Jesus? Or a dependence upon him/her? Does it feel like control and manipulation? Or freedom to be myself and express my true heart and mind? Am I becoming who God truly made me, or am I becoming hard and proud?
Does he/she have all the answers? Everything neatly sorted out? A formula for every dilemma? No room for the mystery of God? I would not trust this person with my soul. Someone who is mature in the Lord is always holding onto unshakeable truth, but also growing, knowing they have not arrived. I love gleaning from lifelong learners with a teachable attitude.
If I only receive input from my own gender, age, denomination, and viewpoint, I cut myself off from a wealth of insight on what it means to walk with Christ.
Does being with this person cause me to want a closer walk with Jesus? Do they free my spirit to connect with the Holy Spirit in transformation? Are they able to speak into my life in such a way that we stimulate one another to love and good deeds? Make the time to connect with this person whenever you can.
As I study the Scripture, I see there is no such thing as a healthy Lone Ranger in the Kingdom. There are times when I need you to magnify the Lord for me. There will be times when I may be able to magnify the Lord for you. No matter how long I’ve been a believer, how mature I think I am, how many times I’ve been hurt or disappointed by someone in the church. I cannot walk with Christ without the body of Christ. God does not give me the option of going it alone.
Who magnifies God for you? Who needs you to be a Beverly? Who are your Beverlies?
Grace and peace,
Linda