Lost and Found

Dallas Willard writes:

We're not lost because we are going to wind up in the wrong place. We are going to wind up in the wrong place because we are lost . . . Hell is not an "oops!" or a slip. One does not miss heaven by a hair, but by constant effort to avoid and escape God. (Renovation of the Heart, pg. 55 & 59)

Growing up I understood the term "lost" to be almost strictly about someone who was a sinner bound for Hell, period. Now that I am older, I think I have come to see this with a little more depth and insight. This whole spiritual journey is not simply about Heaven and Hell. The final destination is of vital importance, don't get me wrong. But that doesn't mean its the only thing that is important.

When we treat the spiritual journey as only about Heaven and Hell I think we miss something. We sell discipleship in Christ short. We are to become like Christ. We are to know and follow His commands. We are to embrace His values and make them our own. We are to be so infused with the power of the Holy Spirit that we begin to experience eternity right now!

Willard goes on to make this point:

Spiritual formation is not something that may, or may not, be added to the gift of eternal life as an option. Rather, it is the path that the eternal kind of life "from above" naturally takes. It is the path one must be on if his or hers is to be an eternal kind of life. (pg. 59)

I embrace Christ and am found in Him. In that embrace I take on His character and His values. His teachings and commands become my chosen pattern for life. When I stray from Christ's path I am convicted of that sin and return because life isn't right apart from Christ's path. That is what it means to live life "found in Christ." That is the life that leads to Heaven, but Heaven always remains the End and life begins now, not then.

Last week we talked about confession, the first step to dealing with sin. I think understanding the true nature of being lost or found is wrapped up in that subject too. I cannot truly confess apart from understanding how I am lost and in need of being found.

How does this resonate with your life story? Where do you connect with this concept?