My friend was boarding a plane recently and found himself in the most awkward situation. As he was making his way down the aisle to his seat, Steve began to notice that his progress was getting increasingly difficult. But there was a long queue of passengers behind him so he dutifully struggled on – until he found himself totally unable to take another step. Realising there was a problem, Steve turned and noted the cause – a toggle on the end of the elastic drawstring of his coat had become caught in a seat about six rows back. He was stuck – unable to go forward, and with a long line of passengers preventing him from going back and releasing himself.

 

This true story seems to be a metaphor for life – and the reason why each New Year inspires so many well meaning resolutions. When I pause and listen to that inner voice within, it assures me that my life has purpose, that there is meaning to it and a destination ahead of me. So I plough on, resolving to try harder this time – because last week, last month or last year I heard that same voice and tried to press on, but I obviously didn’t try hard enough because I seem to have made little progress.

 

For some truth dawns quickly – and they give up making resolutions after a few years. For others, the hope refuses to die so the battle repeats itself every now and again. But each time it becomes harder to beat the inner feeling of resignation.

 

The truth is that the try-harder approach won’t work unless we first know we’re walking in the right direction. The reason Christian spirituality has thrived for so long and in such different ages and cultures is because it is built upon a goldmine of wisdom and in each age there have been men and women of insight, love and integrity who have discovered how to help others mine that treasure.

 

Today we live in the era of self-help manuals, each of which is based on a limited number of the many treasures available – and few ‘fixes’ are that simple. What my heart cries for is a soul friend who will help me discover which precious nuggets of truth apply to the particular variety of ‘stuckness’ I’m currently experiencing. Thankfully these people still exist – but they won’t advertise in the Yellow Pages. My experience is that they come in various forms and guises and will be provided for us by a God who simply invites us to entrust the journey to him keep our eyes open for the signposts he provides.