Spiritual Co-Dependency

We had an interesting discussion this morning in our Emerging Leaders group. A friend of mine brought up the fact that sometimes he feels overwhelmed by new "Christ-Followers" that have come to trust him for guidance and wisdom. While this is certainly an admirable trait of his (and he is one of the most humble men I know), he was exhausted from helping those he has helped in their journey.

The question then becomes how we help relatively new Christians as they continue their journey. We have to realize that everyone is at a different "click" on the journey track. Even those who are still trying to figure stuff out are still on the journey track. It is easy to think of this in terms of a horizontal line stretching from left to right with the center being Christ. The journey comes before, during, and after Christ.

I wonder though...what if Christ is not ON the line, but rather in a multi-dimensional aspect is above, below, around the line, etc. Christ is omni-present. This concept makes more sense. The ultimate goal in a visible term however, is to move from left to right on the journey. How do we help those who move along the track? I think Christ would say that we help them by sharing reality with them. By sharing life. Our story. Their story. HIS story. It doesn't really matter where someone is on the "line" but it does matter whether we find ourselves on the line with them; sharing in the journey together. If we share in this journey the way Christ has showed us, then there is no doubt that we will move along this line together. It may only be one click at a time, but we will continue.

I am not sure where all of this is going, but my friend understands the complexity of this subject. He understands what it means to live like Christ. The journey is difficult. But He has shown us the path. Will we, as my friend has so bravely found, have the courage to follow?