pat loughery

So, what are we doing in this Christian life? Why bother, and what are we aiming for?

The essence of Christian spirituality is following Christ on a journey of personal transformation. The distant land to which we are called is not heaven. Nor is it some external, physical place. The distant land is the new creature into which Christ wishes to fashion us – the whole and holy person that finds his or her uniqueness, identity and calling in Christ. Spiritual friends accompany each other on that journey.

– “Sacred Companions: The Gift of Spiritual Friendship & Direction” (David G. Benner), p. 26

And, what does it look like when we get there?

The intended destination of the Christian journey has been described in a variety of ways. Often it is depicted in terms of becoming Christlike, acquiring the fruit of the Spirit or becoming holy. The Westminster Confession describes it as coming to know God and enjoying him forever. Eastern Orthodox Christians have frequently spoken of moving from imaging God to resembling him (thus emphasizing what Western Protestants have described as sanctification). Roman Catholics have typically spoken of the goal of the journey as union with God. Each of these captures important interrelated dimensions of the personal transformation that is part of being a Christ follower. They can, I think, be summarized by three closely interrelated master goals of the journey: (1) becoming a great lover, (2) becoming whole and holy, and (3) becoming our true self-in-Christ.
– Benner, Sacred Companions, 32