The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.
Psalm 37:23 BSB
Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the one who started this journey of faith. And he is the one who completes the journey of faith.
Hebrews 12:2 NIrV
Faith is a journey.
God delights in our journey, and we can too. Seeing our spiritual lives as a journey can be very relieving and even exciting. Rather than trying to reach a certain goal, we can enjoy the experiences we go through and how they help us connect with God at a deeper level.
Our article, “The Blueprint for Living Spiritually,” outlines a five-step journey to building a soul connection with God. As a fun way to enjoy our spiritual growth, we put together a quiz to identify which stage of the journey we are at today. The results of this quiz will guide us to a section of that article that will most accurately meet our spiritual needs.
As a fun addition, we have included a character from one of our favorite spiritually-themed shows, Avatar: The Last Airbender with each result (the animated version). Some of the most inspiring movies and TV shows are the ones that show us a hero’s journey, and Avatar is one of those shows. We hope you enjoy finding yourself in these results and catching a vision about where your hero’s journey may lead you next.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz, only honest ones that may help reveal some strengths or weaknesses in our spiritual lives. Answer each question by choosing the option that best describes how you are doing right now.
Note: The results may not perfectly describe you, but they’re a great place to start conversations with God and friends as you compare answers and grow together!
Your quiz results
Soul Care – Living a life of deep reflection
You are in the deep reflection stage of your spiritual journey!
If you’re in this stage, you might be a little bit like Sokka from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Sokka was left as a teenager as the oldest male in his village. This often left him feeling insecure, shallow, and a little arrogant. He constantly felt the need to prove himself as a strong leader, but his refusal to address what was in his heart or learn from anyone around him left him weak and unaware.
As he grew, Sokka learned to slow down to recognize who he truly was, learn from others regardless of who they were, and embrace the stress of change. Rather than blindly charging ahead, he learned to reflect on what was really needed. We can see his progression in this quick clip:
Those in this stage might see the concept of “deep reflection” to be anywhere from pointless to annoying to daunting. We may have a hard time slowing down, whether it’s by keeping our schedule busy or our mind busy with constant screen time.
If we want to grow to be like Jesus, we need to invest in soul care, which requires taking time for deep reflection to make certain our soul is getting along well.
[15] Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. [16] But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:15-16 NIV
Jesus demonstrated a human superpower available to us all: his capacity to silence the noise of distraction to care for his soul life. When we are willing to do the same, we can have the clarity to be driven by a vision that sees God’s possibilities, rather than by sight that is clouded by fear, doubt, and uncertainty.
This process of deep reflection is an uncomfortable one, but the good kind of uncomfortable – the kind that leads to lasting change. As long as we don’t give up, we will have the depth and strength we need to have a spiritual breakthrough.
Reflect:
- How do I feel about my spiritual condition?
- Do I believe there is a war against my soul affecting my spiritual condition?
- What are the most effective attacks against my soul?
Read:
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
1 Peter 2:11 NIV
Jesus was willing to slow down enough to be seen and known by God. Because he took the time to reflect and have God care for his soul, he was able to see past the superficiality of people and look deeper. Read about that in John 2:23-25 AMP.
Listen:
“It’s so unusual, it’s frightening…
“Soul on Fire” by Third Day
I’m fully known and loved by you.”
Be sure to read the section “Soul on Fire” in our Blueprint for Living Spiritually to learn more about how to continue your spiritual journey.
Explore more:
Parker is on the Deep Spirituality writing team, and is particularly passionate about helping people learn spiritual lessons from music and other forms of pop culture.
Parker is on the Deep Spirituality writing team, and is particularly passionate about helping people learn spiritual lessons from music and other forms of pop culture.
