Travels with Liesel

His grace creations!

Offering Directions for the Journey

Once upon a time…

Just before Christmas 2003, Liesel, a visitor to this web site, came into my e-life.  “Does the New Testament or religion serve as a crutch for people?” she asked.

Intuitively, I recognized the deep emotional burden this question posed for her. Compassion for her struggle rolled over me as I tapped out my reply, gently probing for the more personal nature of her request.

“I am currently in a religion class at my school and doing research,” she responded.

Oops!  Rebounding from my defeat in relational discernment, I provided some information on her inquiry.  After exchanging a few digital messages, she thanked me for my assistance and probably figured that would end our relationship.  She didn’t know I had other plans.

Digging for Spiritual Gold

I enjoy initiating conversations about spiritual matters and thought I saw a perfect opportunity with Liesel.  Since she had been in a religion class, I hoped there might be more than an academic interest in spirituality.  Mentioning the connection between classroom and life, I asked her if she would be willing to share where she was personally on her spiritual journey.

“I sort of wrote my life story, so be prepared,” she began.

The Early Years

“Where am I on my spiritual journey?  I have often wondered this about myself and where I am with God in my life.”  She went on to say how my question had given her yet another opportunity to look at her journey with God.

“I was raised WELS Lutheran and religion has always been a part of my life in some way or another.  When it came time for me to go to high school, I went to a Catholic school.  Those four years gave me a new perspective on Lutheranism, Catholicism and other religions of the world.”

We all know how fast the time in high school can be and before long, Liesel was…

College Bound

The very first year at college (her first public school), Liesel began questioning “a lot of things in life” and soon realized her “spiritual side was growing weak.”  By the end of the year she could say, “God and I had become friends again,” a friendship that brought her closer to God than in a long time.  A lot happened in between.

She started attending some Bible studies, began going to a Catholic church with a dear friend and talked with friends regularly about faith and what it means to different people.  She summed up that first year by saying, “My faith became an intertwined connection from the things I learned that year from my friends who were of different faiths, and from myself and where I stood at the time.”

She moved back home after that first year, saw her spiritual side slip during the next school year and in December 2003, found herself in the religion class that prompted her original e-mail to me.

And then, near the very end of her letter, I read something quite surprising.

Pass Me the Road Map Please

“I guess right now, I don’t know exactly where I am on my journey.”

“I guess right now, I don’t know exactly where I am on my journey,” I read again.  I won’t retype that line for each time I’ve read it and thought about the implications for Liesel.  I will tell you, I could fill a lot of space on this page if I did.

The End of One Story – The Start of Another?

Liesel’s story is not over and her travels through life continue.  And, as it often happens to travelers, her path has now crossed yours.  In the brief time you spent ‘together’ she has shared her deep awareness of life’s spiritual component and her confusion about how it’s supposed to look and feel.

What has your heart been saying as you listened to her story?  Is there something you’d want to say to her if you had a chance?  Do you have all the answers to your journey or are you in the same car, so to speak, as Liesel?

We would love to hear what’s on your heart after listening to Liesel’s story.  All you have to do is click on Travels with Liesel to find out how to get in touch.  We hope to hear from you soon.

 

 

“Travels with Liesel” has been presented by Pathways, a series of articles for Listening Hearts such as yours.

P’ssst, here’s a secret!

I wondered how someone could say, “I will always know that God is my friend, my best one at that,” and still be unsure of where she was on her spiritual odyssey.

And then in a moment of honest self realization, I appreciated the similarities in my own journey.

Maybe that’s as it should be.  After all, if we’re in a relationship with the author of the world, the knower of all things, it makes sense that finite creatures would not completely grasp the infinite creator.