Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian
Women in Religion
Life is a Faith Journey

Life is a Faith Journey

Last updated on: July 7, 2024 at 6:16 am by Michele Gunn

0 Comments

Life is a Faith Journey 2024-07-07T06:16:43-05:00 Michele Gunn

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Life influences your heart.

Your Faith Journey began before you were born.

Jeremiah 1:5 “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (USCCB.org)

God created you with a plan. He anointed you. He dedicated you. He started your Faith Journey.

Then, you were born.

So many people have entered your life on that first day. Where is God?

On your day of birth, God is often forgotten. Everyone around you is reveling in the miracle that is you, but they are forgetting how you truly came to be, through God.

Life Happens

Depending on what faith you were raised in, there may be an infant baptism which marks the beginning of your Faith Journey. How it evolves, depends greatly on your environment and the people around you.

Your Faith Journey is influenced (but not necessarily determined) by those around you. That is how we learn and grow.

What truly makes a difference is how you embrace who God is and who God created you to be. Embrace the gifts and talents that God gave you. This includes your faith. People can teach you and influence you, but ultimately, it is you that decides the direction you take in your Faith Journey.

There are many firsts.

Depending on the Christian Denomination you were raised in, there can be many firsts in your Faith Journey.

There is Baptism, First Communion, First Confession, First Service to others and Confirmation.

Many of these firsts come with sponsors or Godparents. These people are meant to guide you in your Faith Journey, although in today’s society it seems these roles perform a more monetary role.

Growth in your Faith Journey

As we age, grow and develop, so do our beliefs. Along with growth comes change. You may start to question what you have been taught and what you have been shown (or the lack of what you have been taught or shown). You should.

God created you to be you. He created you for His purpose.

Avodah is spiritually centered and is based on one’s hope, trust, faith, and belief. It is about giving up control to truly yield and surrender one’s vocational discernment to prayer and meditation. It is about what the Lord can do through us. It is about us being patient and acting in His time, for His purposes, and serving dutifully.

Avodah is spiritually centered.

Refer back to my friend Vic and his concept of Avodah-Spiritual Ikigai that I highlighted in my last column on Patheos.com, “Who did God Create You to be?”. It is clear that most of us have not found our Avodah and many are not even seeking it.

As you reach this age of questioning, don’t stop. This is key to your spiritual growth in your Faith Journey. Question. Seek answers. Educate yourself. Ask more questions.

As you learn, teach. Afterall, that is what we are called to do as stated in the Bible (usccb.org):

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”’ Matthew 28:19-20

Ebbs and Flows

It is normal for your Faith Journey to have ebbs and flows. Many times life influences our heart. Challenges or obstacles make us question who we are and what we have accomplished. Successes often bring gratitude.

In reality, challenges or obstacles truly define who we are by how we react and often teach us more than successes do.

Ask yourself:

Where is your faith during challenges?
How do you show your faith during a success?
How has your faith grown because of challenges?
How has your faith grown because of successes?
How are you sharing/living your faith during challenges?
How are you sharing/living your faith during successes?

Faith Journey as an Adult

As we age, we tend to be more open about our Faith Journey. We tend to search for answers as to who we are and what end of life will be. Dare I say that most people are on a journey to find comfort with what they have done instead of becoming who they were created to be.

As an adult on your Faith Journey, continue to ask questions, educate yourself and experience faith. Make mistakes. You will and that is great because that is how you learn and grow.

Recruit others, better yet, invite others on your journey.

Surround yourself with like-minded, growth people.

“You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most.” Jim Rohn.

You want to ensure that people challenge you as you challenge others, but be careful that the people who are filling your head (and your heart) are on the same path. The devil is active and will do its best to interfere with your Faith Journey.

As an adult, it is much easier to be disciplined and carve out time in your busy schedule to work on your growth in your Faith Journey.

I offer these tips to help you:

Read the Bible
Pray
Meditate
Form a group for your journey
Be a support as you ask for support
Live your Faith
Share your journey

Divine Blueprint

The last tip is why I became a contributing author in Divine Blueprint: Faith in God for Unbounded Success .

We truly believe that in our lives, God has a Divine Plan and a Divine Blueprint that goes along with the Divine Plan. The question often becomes, whether we are listening or looking for the plan and blueprint. Perhaps we share a common bond in answering that question.

DIVINE BLUEPRINT: Faith in God for Unbounded Success

It is much easier to see your journey and a path once you begin sharing it with others. I do that here, in the book, in my social media content and in who I am.

Sharing your journey also helps to bring people to you with like journeys and people who can learn from your Faith Journey.

Likewise, search for people who are on their Faith Journey that you can learn from.

We are in this together.

God created each of us to bless one another.

How are you living your Faith Journey?

Previous Post

June 30, 2024

Who did God Create You to be?