by Michael D’Auleiro
A spiritual journey is intentional. It isn’t about following a specific path or counting steps, but rather purposely surrendering to God’s will. We don’t remain idle. Instead, we keep our hearts open to the call for action and respond when guided.
How trustworthy one must be to free-fall into the unknown. At first, it seems like nothingness. Yet through a life in Christ Jesus, this apparent darkness transforms into radiant fullness. Paul reminds us that we live in God, and God lives in us (Galatians 2:20). When we view ourselves through Christ’s eyes, we realize our lonely souls are seen and loved. If He lives our life and hears our cries, can we then not learn to see as He does?
James 4:6 teaches that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Grace, characterized by continuous peace free from sin, contrasts with the suffering caused by human fallacies. The seven deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, sloth, and gluttony) often underpin our struggles. The empty land of idols also leads us astray.
But in the same way behavior does not define a person, so our sins do not represent the soul. While we may miss the divine mark, the Holy Spirit works to guide us back. Humanity’s predicament involves seeking a Savior and finding our prayers answered through Jesus. The process of being found often involves experiencing loss, a profound mystery of faith.
Jesus said, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4, NIV). As a shepherd will not leave his sheep behind, so Jesus will never reject you. A lost sheep is not discovered but rediscovered.
We experience death and resurrection when we give our lives to Christ. The spiritual path after that takes work, but it’s one we must walk. Rather than seeking the easiest route, we should pursue the highest good. It is tempting to reach for luxuries while refining the soul, but true fulfillment comes from removing impurities and aligning with God’s will for our lives. Pursuing the highest good plants seeds of love, faith, and hope, yielding virtues that counteract the seven deadly sins: humility, generosity, chastity, patience, temperance, charity, and diligence. These seven heavenly virtues emerge from a life devoted to Him.
The theologian Augustine was once asked which virtue was first. He answered, “first, humility; second, humility, and third, humility.” As a stance that looks up to God, this humility also teaches us to not look down on others who travel this road with us.
Walking this narrow path with humility leads to true liberation. There is no greater freedom than a clear, humble conscience, and no prison like one tangled with entitlement. Thankfully, the path of righteousness shines like the morning sun, growing ever brighter until the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18) — a guiding star that leads us through the shadowlands. Astonishingly, what was once the land of the lost becomes the land of the found. And in the end, we realize that true freedom was never about escape but transformation — through Jesus, who alone can turn our brokenness into wholeness and our wandering into redemption.
