I used to think that “growing as a Christian” meant getting less and less “lost.” That it meant straying from the shepherd less. Being “prone to wonder” less. Being a more devoted and more faithful believer. After all, how can a “strong, godly, mature” believer keep wondering away? Surely “growing as a Christian” means getting less and less “lost.”

But the more I live, the more I’ve come to realize that “growing as a Christian” isn’t defined by getting less and less “lost,” but rather discovering that we’re actually MORE “lost” than we care to admit. It’s only when we discover just how “lost” we truly are that we’ll stop trying to earn our way back to the flock, and simply let the shepherd come and carry us home. THAT is “growing as a Christian.”

“And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Luke 15:5-6.

So, do you want to “grow” in your faith? Here it is - Just learn to enjoy the ride on the shoulders of the shepherd as He carries you back home.

Because it’s only when you realize how often you’re “lost” that you’ll begin to realize just how often He carries you.

I spend an awful lot of time “lost”. And that’s OK. I’m not meant to do the finding. God is. Again and Again and Again. And Again.

- PT