A Prayer For a Spiritual Director

An empty chair before me –
It will soon be filled with Your Image
I will honor the beauty of the Other
And will not recreate them to reflect me

An empty chair before me –
It will soon be filled with Your likeness
I will hear Your voice in their words
And I will honor Your silence as they share.

An empty chair before me –
It will soon be filled with Your creation
I will not fix or advise. I will not judge or assume.
I will walk through the garden of their soul with care.

An empty chair before me –
It will soon be filled with Your gift for me
I will honor the Giver as the gift is shared.
I will look for Your gift even in the most unlikeliest of packages.

The empty chair looks back at me-
Will you remember all who sat here?
Will you hold them in your prayers?
Will you journey with them, even to destinations unknown, or unsafe?

The empty chair looks back at me-
Will you love them enough to let them be?
Will you love them enough to let them fail?
Will you love them enough to let them go?

The empty chair looks back at me-
Will you tame your mind so it does not wander?
Will you bridle your curiosity so it does not control?
Will you train your soul to ask the question that echoes there?

The empty chair looks back at me-
Will you use them to make you feel holy?
Will you hold them to meet your needs?
Will you reject them instead of healing your life?

As I sit with an empty chair before me
May I always remember the invisible chair beside me.
And may I see it occupied with You.