Our intention in approaching spiritual direction is to learn to live according to God's will. In St. Paul himself, despite the extraordinary beginning of his vocation, God later wanted to follow the normal path with him, that is, to form him and transmit his will to him through other people. Ananias laid his hands on him and immediately a kind of scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight.
In the one who helps us, we see Christ himself, who teaches, enlightens, heals and nourishes our soul so that it may follow his path. Without this supernatural sense, without this faith, spiritual direction would be distorted. It would be transformed into something completely different: an exchange of opinions, perhaps. This means is a great help and lends great strength when what we really want is to find out God's will for us and to identify with it. Let us not look to spiritual direction for the one who can solve our temporal affairs; he will help us to sanctify them, never to organize or solve them. That is not its mission.
The awareness that, through that person who has a particular grace from God, we approach Christ himself, will determine our trust, delicacy, simplicity and sincerity in this medium. Bartimaeus approached Jesus as one who walks towards the Light, the Life, the Truth, the Way. So do we, because this person is an instrument of the Lord, through whom He communicates to us graces similar to those we would have obtained if we had met Him on the roads of Palestine. In the continuity of spiritual direction, the soul is forged; and little by little, with defeats and victories, we build the supernatural edifice of holiness: "Did you see how they raised that building of imposing grandeur? -One brick, and another. Thousands, but one by one. -And sacks of cement, one by one. And ashlars, which are little before the mass of the whole. -And pieces of iron. -And workmen who toil, day after day, the same hours....
"Did you see how they erected that building of imposing grandeur? -By dint of small things!". A painting is painted brushstroke by brushstroke, a book is written page by page, with patient love, and a rope capable of supporting great weights is woven by an endless number of fine threads.
If we carry this means of spiritual direction well, we will feel like Bartimaeus, who followed Jesus on the road glorifying God, full of joy.