Following Jesus vs. Chasing Highs

There is a way to be a Christian--or to practice a religion--that is all about trying to have a particular kind of experience. Here the main pursuit of religion is to secure a type of experience that can bring desired feelings, sensations, or insights. I once had a conversation with someone who said, “I don’t need the church to experience God. I experience God outdoors. That’s my church.” Fair enough. I do not doubt that someone can experience God outside of church. Most of us have. But the point of faith is not to have experiences. It’s to love God. 

We can easily make the faith out to be one long pursuit of spiritual highs and powerful experiences. There is a kind of spiritual tourism today that has some people endlessly searching, from church to church, or from spiritual practice to spiritual practice, in search of the next great experience. The problem comes when down the road what once felt amazing and life-changing seems dry, arid, and flat. Then it seems the only way to move forward is to find another church or religious community or practice. 

It is true that sometimes God allows us to have amazing experiences, whether in a religious context or not. These can be gifts in our lives. The problems come when we want to cling to the experience rather than cling to God. We may desire to chase a spiritual “high” rather than follow Jesus into deepening levels of discipleship. Amazing spiritual experiences are not the problem in and of themselves. The problem is our inward demand that God give us amazing experiences. 

From my own personal experience, I know how easy it is to equate the presence of God with a particular emotional experience within myself. If God is near, shouldn’t we feel a certain way? Sometimes even our hymns and worship songs can suggest that God’s presence will always be accompanied by certain inward experiences. 

In the story of the Transfiguration, the three disciples who walk up the mountain with Jesus have a range of experiences. First, they have an incredible experience of seeing Jesus transfigured and standing with Moses and Elijah. It’s amazing! But secondly, after a cloud rolls in and a voice from above speaks to them, they are “overcome by fear” (Matt 17:6). They went from awe-struck to fearful in a matter of seconds. Yet through it all, Jesus was with them. 

The disciples are given something even better than an amazing experience. They are given Jesus himself. The story ends by Jesus coming to them, no longer shining like the sun, and simply touching them and telling them not to be afraid. And they continue their journey with Jesus, hiking down the mountain, back to the other disciples. Jesus then continues his journey to the cross. 

As we begin the season of Lent, this may be a great time to ask ourselves whether we seek the living God or a certain kind of spiritual experience. Following Jesus down the mountain will not always bring pleasant experiences, but following Jesus means that we are never alone. Jesus is with us, and he wants to lead us into deeper levels of faith, hope, and love.