The Next Step

Have you ever started something and at first you were all about it. Filled with passion and enthusiasm. But after a time you only found that the enthusiasm slowly faded away? Maybe it was a new job, hobby, or exercise routine. The first week, you were motivated. Even excited about how you were going to make a difference or learn something fun. You had your plan in place, the schedule laid out. Depending on what it was, maybe you even purchased a new outfit to go along with this new venture. But then life happened. You got busy. You missed a day, then another. Before long, the excitement that fueled the startup had all but evaporated. And now you find yourself at a critical juncture of having to decide whether you are going to keep going or give up. And the truth is, starting something is often easier than continuing it. In many ways, this can be true when it comes to our faith journey. 

When we first come to Christ, or when we experience a season of spiritual renewal, we may feel ready to change everything. We’re going to set the world on fire because our hearts have been ignited. We’re going to pray more, read Scripture more deeply, serve others every weekend, and live differently. But as the days turn into weeks, the excitement settles into ordinary life. All of a sudden, following these rhythms in pursuit of Jesus becomes more difficult. So what do we do when the excitement fades? What do we do when we recognize that we still have a long way to go? How do we take the next step?

The author of Hebrews may give us some encouragement here. He writes in chapter twelve: Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV). Notice that the writer doesn't tell us to run a perfect race. He tells us to run with perseverance. There’s a difference in that mentality. Perfection can be misleading. Persistence and perseverance keep us moving forward. In fact John Wesley once wrote that Christian perfection… is only another term for holiness (John Wesley, On Christian Perfection, 1741). Faith isn’t about reaching a point where we no longer struggle, never make mistakes, or have everything figured out. It's about continuing to follow Jesus, even when the journey is difficult. It’s about moving toward holiness. We will have days when our faith feels strong and days when we struggle to take the next step. There will be times when we celebrate growth and times when we recognize just how much growing we still need to do. But we don't have to turn back. The writer of Hebrews tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. It's easy to become distracted by everything else which is why fixing our eyes on Jesus is so critical. 

We can look at our failures and become convinced that we've gone too far to change. We can look at our accomplishments and decide we've done enough. We can look at other people and wonder why our journey doesn't look like theirs. But our faith isn't a competition, and our past isn't our finish line. Jesus is the one we follow, and He’s the reason we keep moving forward.
What’s the next step toward holiness for you? How can you move forward toward Jesus this week?