Evaluating Your Spiritual Journey
As we have been wrestling through the stages of spiritual growth lately, I have had many comments and emails about where you seem to fit and which things really hit home. I have also had many questions about how you decide if you are growing and not just stuck in one of these stages. Many of you have said that you seem to be in all of these stages each week or month at one time or another. So let me try to provide some clarity (what little I can since I am also in the process of thinking through all of this as well). There are two elements that are important in this concept.
1. These are longer term situations where one element takes priority. In other words, are you just watching from a distance, are you in need and looking to God, are you desiring and seeking to learn about the Bible and God, are you in a second stage of great learning and thereby confused and uncertain (like you would be in moving from simple math to calculus), or is there a deep and growing hope that drives you to sacrifice for others?
All these elements will always be present at some level, but which one is in the driver’s seat right now in your life. Although these may not always be linear in fashion, you probably are not a hiker who is confused and uncertain if you have not had the first stage of Biblical knowledge and education. Can you be confused and uncertain in all stages? Of course, but that may point to your need more than anything else or your desire to learn the foundation of the faith. Can you love to learn at all stages? I would hope so. But if you are deeply desiring to know the Bible and God’s character, and giving the time to do so, you are probably not just a spectator or passenger.
2. The second thing that is critical to remember is that we have been given a core list of spiritual ideals in the Bible. These core ideals are the elements by which we should ultimately be measuring our growth. They come from Paul’s letter to the Galatians and are called the Fruit of the Spirit. Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23). These nine elements indicate the level to which we are allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
How are you at loving others? Put in another way, do you accept people where they are and do what is necessary to help them be all God created them to be? What about joy? Does it show up in your marriage even if you are unhappy right now? Does it radiate to those around you? What about peace, patience (does this mean while I am driving too?), kindness… goodness… faithfulness… gentleness… self-control?
Take each one and just dwell on it. These are not things that come overnight. They are elements that drive us to care more about God and those around us than we do ourselves. They are aspects of faith that make God’s creation and mission more important in our lives than our own comfort. Want to know how you are doing in your spiritual journey? Place these nine words somewhere where you can’t miss them. Then ask yourself several times a week, “how am I doing?”
What are your thoughts on all this? What kind of fruit is showing up in your life?
- Written by Ed Palpant