The longer I spend on my faith journey, the more I have realized that I am not merely a shapeless blob that Jesus is forming into what he wants me to be. Spiritual formation didn’t begin the day I started following Jesus. Rather, I already have a form; I have already been shaped into something counter to Jesus by my culture, my past experiences, and a myriad of other factors. Not only that, but in fact, being reformed is far more difficult than it was to be formed in the first place. A famous adage states that “It only took a day to get the Israelites out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of the Israelites.” Even though Jesus sets us free to follow him, we still bring with us mountains of baggage with which we must contend.
Because of that, I invite you to ask yourself: “Who or what am I being formed into?” And as you consider in prayer and community the answer to that question, listen for what spiritual next steps come into focus. Perhaps you have deep-seated questions of faith that you need to explore. Perhaps you become aware of a call to put your faith into practice in a more tangible way. Or perhaps you even begin to feel a pull to invite another to join you as you walk with Jesus. The journey toward Christlikeness can feel difficult and slow, but over the course of what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction,” we will find that transformation really is possible. We can be made new. We can progress. We can become who Jesus has called us to be. Always remember: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6).