Are You on a Journey?

For most of my lifetime there has been a steady rise in interest around spirituality—around finding some way of being in touch with our spiritual nature. Much of this has centered on discovering my spirituality. Whether drawn from an eastern tradition, a particular pattern of meditation, or the life of the local church, the question many people ask is, “What works for me?” It has become normal to compare approaches: “That works for you. This works for me.” As spirituality becomes something to possess—a set of ideas, techniques, or routines—it easily narrows into the acquisition of information and practices.

Christians are not immune to this. We study the Bible, attend church, try to be kind, and can quietly assume that these activities themselves are the measure of growth. In that environment, someone who can quote Scripture fluently can appear authoritative, even if their direction is narrow or misleading. People who long to be faithful but feel less knowledgeable can be drawn into following such a person, idealizing them as the one who truly “knows the way.”

But Christian growth is not an acquisition. It is a process—a journey of being formed, not a project of collecting spiritual tools. It unfolds over time, through relationship, through the slow work of the Spirit shaping us into the likeness of Christ. It cannot be owned or mastered. It can only be lived.

I’m not speaking against informing ourselves. We want to “defend the faith” in its proper place. The ability to speak clearly about what we believe is not meant to be a performance of expertise or a way of securing our standing. It is the fruit of a life being shaped by Christ. As we walk with Him, we learn to speak with more clarity, more gentleness, more confidence—not because we have mastered arguments, but because hope has taken root in us. Defense becomes less about winning and more about offering hospitality: making space for another person’s questions, and speaking from a life that is recognizably being transformed.

So the question is not “What works for me?” nor “Do I know enough to defend the faith?” The deeper question is, “Am I on a journey?” A journey where I am being changed, softened, stretched. A journey where Scripture is not ammunition but nourishment. A journey where leaders are companions, not replacements for the Spirit’s guidance. A journey where the words I offer—whether in explanation, defense, or encouragement—flow from the life I am living, not from the techniques I have gathered.

A life shaped by the Spirit is not a possession to guard. It is a path to walk—with companions.