Crisis, confusion, doubt and despair are an inevitable part of the journey, according to Janet Hagberg and Robert Guelich in The Critical Journey. Through prayerful observation of Christians over time, Hagberg and Guelich came to believe that, in general, we tend to experience the following “stages” in our journey of faith:
- Becoming aware of God and entering into a relationship with him.
- Growing into a life of discipleship, often with the help of mentors, companions, the church, etc.
- Focusing outward by getting involved in ministry to others, using our gifts and experiences for God’s kingdom work on earth.
- Experiencing times of confusion, doubt, uncertainty, etc. that lead eventually to…
- THE WALL – a season of grief and loss, of intense struggle, in which our own sense of self and God is tested, melted and remolded.
- Emerging from the wall to looking outward again and re-engaging God and his good work.
- Experiencing a life of complete abandonment to loving God and loving others, comfortable with the mysteries of life and faith, detached from things that lead us away from love.
At least three things stand out to me as I’ve reflected for a couple of years on their model:
- We tend to get stuck. We setting into one “stage,” never moving beyond it, comfortable with the known, not daring the growth and change necessary to move forward in our journey.
- Walls will come. Their presence doesn’t mean we’re wrong or God’s wrong. They are simply part of the journey. They will not last forever. And they will be transformative, if we authentically cling to God through them.
- The goal of the journey is a life of love. We’ve not arrived, until we’ve reached a place in life where we are empowered to love God and love people in a wholly unreserved way. Until that time, we must press forward, not being satisfied with the early stages of learning (discipleship) and ministry (productive life).
Where are you in your journey? Are you stuck? Are you at a wall? Are you pressing forward to the life of love?
