Spiritual Journey Survey

Alone and/or Distant from God.

A restlessness with society's lack of meaning and spiritual depth. You may sense that the world around you offers little lasting substance — that something is profoundly missing — even if you cannot yet name what you are seeking.

A PASTORAL WORD

Your discomfort and dissatisfaction with life is itself a grace. God is already at work in your longing. Sit with the ache — it is pointing you somewhere.

A suggested next step: Spend time journaling what feels empty in your life. Why does it feel that way? Ask: What would "meaning" look like for you?

Dawning Awakening, Curious, and/or Intrigued.

You see some glimmers around that there may be something worth investigating. Something is stirring — in creation, in community, in a word spoken at just the right moment — hinting at a reality beyond the surface of things. You begin to look past the grey of pre-dawn to something taking form ahead.

A PASTORAL WORD

Do not dismiss these moments as coincidence. The Spirit moves gently at first. Tend to these sparks with curiosity and openness. Patience is important and needed in all of these steps.

A suggested next step: Follow some of those glimmers. Read, ask a question, attend a gathering. Find others who are curious as well. Seek out others and various settings for insight. Let curiosity lead.

Actively Seeking, Studying, and Exploring.

You are learning from others about your own lived situation. You are relying on and trusting them. It's an active learning — from Scripture, from mentors, from a small group, from the community of faith — and you are beginning to understand how your own story connects to the larger story of God.

A PASTORAL WORD

Stay curious and stay humble. Not everything will resolve quickly. Good questions are as valuable as right answers at this stage.

A suggested next step: Find a spiritual director, a reading group, a trusted mentor/teacher, or a spiritual friend. Learning is deepest in community. You are surrounded by other pilgrims. Connect with them.

Rooted and Growing, Committed, Expectant.

You've chosen a new path of understanding and meaning in life. You've made a commitment — not merely intellectually, but of your heart and soul. You are giving yourself to the path others have walked, grounded in Jesus the Christ. It's not the end of your faith journey but the beginning of its deepest chapter.

A PASTORAL WORD

Commitment does not mean certainty about everything. It means walking with Jesus the Christ even in an unknown future. It's like a marriage covenant, trusting no matter what may come. Lean into the grace and promise that called you here.

A suggested next step: Mark this commitment in a tangible way — through baptism, a covenant, a renewed vow, a milestone, a memorial — and share it with a trusted community.

Deepening a life with God in Christ by "Sanctification," growing closer to God daily.

You are continuing to grow through further exploration, insights, stumbles, honesty, forgiveness, humility, and renewal as you move toward a greater realization of God in Jesus the Christ. This involves both internally, in your soul, and externally, in your relationships with others. You are walking the long road of transformation, coming to know God more deeply in every season.

A PASTORAL WORD

Stumbles and sometimes failures are part of the spiritual journey, not a departure from it. At every return to God, that unconditionally loving relationship deepens. You are not starting over — you are going deeper. Share your spiritual journey with your faithful brothers and sisters.

A suggested next step: Embrace a 'rule of life' — rhythms of prayer, community, service, and rest — that sustains growth over the long haul. Meet with others regularly for prayerful accountability.

As with any Spiritual Journey, there may be times of setback, returning to a previoius stage or growth that sometimes leapfrogs ahead. 

Each person is unique and so each path is unique. 

That does not mean that we walk it alone.  For in fact we walk not only in the company of others, but with the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of God's creations.