Active Theology

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV)

I was recently driving to Walmart with my 5-year-old. As you might imagine, the route from our house to Walmart is one that we’ve traveled numerous times. But for some reason, my daughter asked, “Are we lost?”, when we were halfway there. I was somewhat puzzled as we traveled a familiar route to a familiar destination.

Did I believe she lost all confidence in my navigation abilities? No, but it made me wonder for a second. The GPS wasn’t on the screen, so maybe that’s why she asked if I needed any help. But I reassured her that we would make it there. And just so you know, we did make it to Walmart and back home without any help from Google Maps that day. 

After thinking about this funny little conversation, I thought – How often does this attitude or questioning leak into our spiritual lives? 

We’re all headed somewhere. You may have heard the Christian life described as a “pilgrimage”. (I love the book Pilgrim’s Progress and how it portrays our spiritual journey) We are traveling toward an eternal home, but until we reach the final destination we will experience the risk of getting “lost”. 

Sometimes it comes from simply getting distracted and diverting our attention away from eternity for a little while. 

Other times we are so stuck in what is happening in the now, whether it’s good or bad, that we stop thinking about the implications that life now has on eternity.

We might get trapped in the lie that we need to just serve more, pray more, and read more, in order to please God more and eventually be accepted by Him. 

Being a follower of Jesus means we get to experience something miraculous every day of our pilgrimage. We don’t journey alone, therefore we never need to feel lost or question if we’ll get there. 

Jesus is with us until the end of the age. (Matt. 28:20)

The Holy Spirit is our Helper. (John 14:26)

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  (John 14:6)

I could add more promises to the list, but this is just what initially comes to mind. When we feel lost or alone, we must remember that Jesus is there by our side. He’s provided the way to eternity through his death, burial, and resurrection. Now we have the opportunity to put our trust in him, follow after him, and travel the path he has set before us. 

Pray: God, thank you for who You are, sending Your Son for us, and promising the presence of the Holy Spirit. When I forget your promises, I pray that the Spirit will remind me, comfort me, and help me to move forward toward eternity. Amen. 

Song: “Narrow Road” by Josh Baldwin

Craig is a worship pastor at Wallula Christian Church and the creator of Active Theology. He loves coffee dates with his wife, reading, and riding his bike. A few of his favorite things are third wave coffee, vanilla ice cream, and plain t-shirts.