21. Jesus desires that I help Him guide others on their journey, to become a “journey guide.”

How would you describe your desire or longing to guide others on their journey?

If you do desire to be a guide for others, what is your motive? Why do you want to be a guide?

Have you had the experience of working with Jesus in another person’s life? If so, what did that experience do for you?

What might be keeping you from wanting to be a guide for others?

What do you sense Jesus saying to you about guiding others?

Notice that the guiding statement doesn’t speak about guiding institutions, systems, or organizations, but rather is about guiding people. Who are the people in your life that you are, or could be, guiding?

One indication of growth and maturity on our spiritual journey is our willingness and desire to partner with Jesus in teaching and assisting others on their journeys. It is important to grow in intimacy with Jesus and enjoy God for ourselves, but we should also want to work with God in doing what He cares about in the lives of others.

To guide others into a loving relationship with Jesus we must first experience this for ourselves. It will be difficult to guide someone to places we have never visited or experienced. So, for us to appropriately partner with Jesus in guiding others on their journey, we must have some knowledge about the journey.

We should have an understanding of the ways of God and know the voice of the Spirit and be humble and willing to let Him guide us as we guide others. Although there are formal programs that train people to be guides (spiritual directors), the most important thing is to have a pure desire to guide others into a relationship with Jesus.

This is a God-given desire and is simply one more indication that we are growing and maturing, becoming like Christ, and participating in an authentic and loving relationship with the Trinity. Some may say that they are not “called” to guide others on their journey, but I don’t think it is about calling.

Although some people understand guiding to be a vocation, it is something that, with Jesu, anyone can do. It is more about being with Jesus and simply doing what Jesus does. Jesus has invited each of us to join Him in guiding others into an intimate relationship with the Father.

As we grow deeper in our relationship with Jesus, and as we develop relationships with others, we will naturally want to guide them into a relationship with Jesus.