Sometimes the process of spiritual formation can be discouraging. One can spend years intentionally following Jesus through spiritual exercises, suffering, and moment-by-moment attention to seeking his kingdom. And yet, despite our best intentions, our selfishness, desires, and rebellion cause us to fail. It is easy to ask why in the world am I even doing this when it seems nothing is changing?

I was encouraged through a podcast with John Mark Comer called Practicing the Way. (Thanks, Mark, for sharing this podcast with me.) In episode 2, he said that in his own journey of spiritual transformation into Christ’ likeness, he’s a 1000 miles away from where he wants to be but he’s also a 1000 miles away from where he used to be. That exactly captures how I feel after intentionally apprenticing myself to Jesus for 25 years. Spiritual formation is a “slow-drip” process that takes decades.

Failure is part of apprenticeship to Jesus. And we will fail again and again. And our failures will hurt the people we love. Thank God for his forgiveness and the forgiveness of those around us.

I am also reminded that no one drifts or defaults into Christ’s likeness. That is why Jesus came. Left on our own, we will drift toward further corruption and destruction. Jesus’ gospel, his good news, is to invite us to enter an interactive life in God‘s ongoing activity through apprenticeship to him. So giving up isn’t an option. As Dallas Willard used to discuss, while the cost of discipleship is high, the cost of non-discipleship is far greater.

So we get up and keep walking the long obedience in the same direction with Jesus. I’m encouraged by what God has done in my life over the past 25 years. And I remain hopeful that he will complete this work so I may love and serve him for the billions upon billions of years that remain before me in his incredible and grand universe.