The “training wheels” metaphor serves well in much of life. No one makes very much headway in any “growth skill” apart from this thing we call training. Equipping. Tutoring. Apprenticing.
Without guidance and assistance in our learning process – regardless our specific aim – we quickly accumulate a nasty assortment of bumps and scratches and bruises. Like many-a-kid who excitedly took up bike-riding for the first time. Plunging in with an eager self-confidence – but all alone.
When a believer sets out to grow, in their earnest hope of taking on the character and likeness of Jesus Christ, a simple adjustment in approach can make all the difference. Assurance finds wings. Confidence in the Lord’s “with-ness” replaces feelings of being stranded without fuel miles away from the nearest station. Plus, any further concern about getting ambushed by the fear of failure is dismissed.
In a pilgrimage that is shared among people marked by a growing love for one another, words like boredom and drudgery fall by the wayside. And, introduced now in their place, are terms like invigorating and adventurous.
Receiving heaven’s grace that transports a Christ-follower more fully into “life in the kingdom,” means that something we could call partnering practices are called for. They are not cumbersome.
“Whither Thou Goest” is a lyric my brother sang at my wedding. The years that followed saw my bride trekking with me from her Montana home. On then to Texas, to New York, to Africa and a lot of places beyond. Our wedding vows held concrete meaning for Ann and me. New (and renewed) union in Christ will bear similar features. Unrelenting love marked by a choice. To orient one’s life to walking in step with the beloved.
Growth in grace (God acting in our life), explains Dallas Willard, “is something we must plan for by regular engagement in activities that enable us to receive God’s grace in all areas (of our lives).” Professor Willard’s statement brings clarity to what is actually called for in the life of a Christian convert. For the remainder of the disciple’s life.
In truth, a lifelong journey of deepening companionship with Jesus is the thing a disciple longs for. It is what they are made for. Nothing less will usher a person along a path of flourishing in the wondrous venture we call the faith pilgrimage.
– ©2026 Jerry Lout Jerry Lout was raised in Okmulgee County. His two memoirs, “Living with a Limp” and “Giants in the Rough,” highlight the dual encounters with Polio and his decades living and working in East Africa. jerrylout@gmail.com, 918-857-4373
