THE PATH TO PROGRESS

 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV)

                I have a game on my phone called Wordscapes. It is a cross between a crossword puzzle and the game Boggle. Each level presents you with a set of letters that you have to fit into the right places in the puzzle. The frustrating thing about this game is that if you get stuck on a level, you cannot go forward until you figure it out. There are a few helps to get you going, but ultimately it is up to you to fill in all of the empty spaces.

                That game is a little like our spiritual/life journey. In life there are certain physical and emotional levels that we all have to progress through. The physical ones usually come pretty easily, but the emotional ones are different. These take more time and effort to figure out. If we get stuck on one emotional level, we cannot progress to the next level. Unlike Wordscapes, you can temporarily skip a difficult level for a time, but eventually you will have to come back to it. You cannot become a truly, emotionally healthy person with holes in your makeup.

                The same is true with our spiritual journey. Most people are aware of the physical and emotional puzzles that we face in life. But fewer people are really aware of the spiritual puzzles that we face. In fact, many people are functionally blind to the spiritual side of their lives. Like a person who is legally blind, they see their spiritual life only in fuzzy terms. They tend to gloss over it as if it is not important to their development as a person.

                When a person becomes a follower of Jesus, they become more aware of their spiritual dimension. They begin to see the holes in their personal puzzle that need to be filled. Just like with our emotional development, we cannot really skip certain spiritual areas and just move on. Although our spiritual development is not technically linear, there is a progression that must take place in order for us to mature.

                At our church we have been exploring what it means to have emotionally healthy spirituality. We have learned that our spiritual health and our emotional health are intricately linked together. We cannot ignore one without doing damage to the other. The first step to moving in the right direction is to be aware of our emotional and spiritual state and to honestly evaluate where we are. Are there areas of growth that we have tried to skip? Are their holes in our puzzle that we are unaware of?

                Peter gave us a checklist of character traits to help us get a better picture of where we are on our journey. Although these seem to be progressive, they are really parallel tracks that support and enhance one another. They are like layers in a piece of plywood; each layer adding strength to the whole piece. It is important to see that these character traits are both spiritual and emotional: add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. Each one of these is a piece of the puzzle. If we leave any of them out, we cannot attain our goal.

                The good news is that we do not have to do this alone. In fact, we cannot do this alone. We are dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit within us to guide us and empower of along the way. It is a partnership that leads to emotionally healthy spirituality. As Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

                When we feel frustrated or stuck, we need to humbly ask God to show us which piece of the puzzle is missing. We also need to ask Him to help us fill in the hole. Each level needs to be completed before we can really move on. Some levels are easier than others. Some we will find very difficult. But if we persevere, if we do not give up, we will make progress toward the goal.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4 (NIV)