How would you describe your spiritual journey? When I was younger, I assumed my spiritual journey would be a consistently upward line on a graph. But sometimes our growth isn’t exactly like that. It’s more like a line darting up and down. Hopefully over time, we move upwards, but the reality is, our humanness brings us back down now and then.
Let’s put this myth to rest: our spiritual journey isn’t going to be a perfectly straight upward line.
How wonderful it would be to constantly grow closer to God. But the reality is, we are human and we falter.
In my nine years as a Christian, I’ve learned there are four spiritual seasons we walk through. Each season contributes something different to our growth journey. The seasons are: sinking, striving, soaring, and steady.
Let’s look at each of these seasons and talk about how they promote growth.
The Sinking Season.
During our sinking season, we may experience grief, trauma, or loss. The sinking season doesn’t have to be marked by a traumatic event; perhaps it’s brought on by complacency. Maybe we are not actively pursuing the Lord and as a result we’re drifting away from Him. Maybe we feel anxious, overwhelmed, or like we’re losing control because of the the pressure of the world.
Sinking can feel like a loss of control, or hopelessness, or even at times, like depression.
You might be wondering, how does it’s sinking support spiritual growth? Doesn’t hopelessness and despair sound like the opposite of growth? Look at this verse from the book of Psalms.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.“ — Psalm 73:26
If you like making notes in your Bible, write by this verse, “when I am weak, God sustains me.”
Our sinking seasons highlight our weaknesses, and our weaknesses remind us how much we need to depend on God for strength. These moments of despair remind us to answer the commands (not suggestions) we find in the New Testament.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” — 1 Peter 5:6-7
“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6
Sinking isn’t the place we want to stay, but it certainly brings opportunity for spiritual growth. Sinking reminds us who we ultimately depend on. We cannot depend on ourselves. We must depend on the Father to supply every need like James says He will in James 1:5 and beyond.
The Striving Season
The striving season begins after two things happen: (1) we notice we are sinking and (2) we desire to make a change.
This can the hardest season because I believe this is when the devil tries to attack us the most. The Bible says that the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion waiting to devour us. Lions know which animals are weak. The lion doesn’t attack the elephant, strong and bold. The lion goes for the gazelle, the small, indefensible creature. During our striving season, we are the gazelle. We are at our most vulnerable point because we need God, but we have strayed away for whatever reason.
Crawling back to God involves swallowing our pride, giving up that dependence on self, admitting that we have drifted away from the Father, and walking back towards Him while fighting the devil’s temptations.
During the striving season, time in prayer and time in the Word will be our best assets.
We must put on the armor of God and remember that His Word is the lamp that guides our spiritual journey. The more time we spend in the Word, the clearer the path will become. The more time we talk to God, the more steps we will take down the path.
The Soaring Season
This season marks the moments when we are victorious over the striving. During this time, we may feel closer than ever to God. The fire of emotional connection with our Creator runs deep in our veins. We feel ready to tackle any challenge or meet any goal. The Apostle Paul’s words ring true: if God is for us, who can be against us? We can do all things through Christ to strengthen us (Philippians 4:13).
I remember some of my most special soaring moments happening while I was surrounded by Christian family. When I was in high school, I would usually attend multiple weeks of church camp. I studied at a Christian University, and we would enjoy weekly devotionals or singing sessions. These times were soaring seasons for me.
These moments remind me just how important it is to enjoy Christian fellowship. The Bible instructs us to meet regularly with the church. Meeting each week with our Christian family is the knot that keeps our lifeline strong and secure.
Participating in regular weekly Christian fellowship brings me closer to God, and ultimately helps me crave more personal time with God. That helps me reach the fourth season…
The Steady Season
The soaring season is like a 500-meter sprint. But we can’t stay in a sprint for hours at a time. The steady season is more like a 5K. We keep pace, and putting one step in front of the other.
The steady season involves the emotional encouragement we receive from Christian family, but doesn’t totally rely on that encouragement. I didn’t enjoy church camps or singing nights only because of the people around me. I enjoyed them because these people remind me how special it is to be God‘s child, and this motivates me to spend more time with my Heavenly Father.
That’s what the steady season is really about—it’s about having a deep, personal connection with our God.
The steady season might be my favorite season, because it reminds me how refreshing it is to be rooted in God. How refreshing it is to daily depend on God; to have His Word written on our hearts; to be totally in love with being loved by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
There’s probably going to be a time when our spiritual journey sinks, and the cycle will repeat.
If this happens—when this happens—all we can do is pray that God will protect us and remind us to drift back to Him. In the meantime, let us actively take strength through scripture and prayer, so that if and when we sink, we simply dip our toes in the water instead of plummeting down into the deep.
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