Trekking: A Guide to Spiritual Transformation

From the first chapter of a soon-to-be-released book on spiritual formation

Photo by Abigail Kaucher on Unsplash

Laci’s Story

Three Important Notes

• The story tells how one woman, Laci, found a spiritual journey that led, ultimately, to Jesus.

• Laci’s story is genuine and used with permission; the name is changed.

• This is a long-form version of an article. Over a cup of coffee read this story; it will take about 14 minutes. You will learn some characteristics of how spiritual journey’s begin.

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Nothing was truer for Laci than the fact a single word changed the trajectory of her life. In order to grasp the fundamental impact of that singular word and how it led to her spiritual transformation, there are a few basic facts that will help you get acquainted with her.

Laci is married to the self-confessed love of her life and is a mother of two young children. Despite her rigorous schedule, she rarely misses a soccer game or dance recital. Well-educated, with an MBA in business and finance from UC Berkeley, she is the senior vice president of a high-tech company, earning a substantial income. Once referred to as one of the most promising leaders in her field, she is no longer on the way up; in every possible way, she has arrived at the apex of her career. She lives in an elegant house in a gated neighborhood, and her exquisitely decorated home and garden were recently featured in a regional magazine. She has an excellent investment portfolio that will likely afford her financial security for the rest of her life. By most people’s standards, Laci is living the American dream.

But it is not Laci’s high level of professional and material success that makes her story so intriguing. What is compelling is what happened a few summers ago when she experienced a moment so foreign to her that she simply had no words to describe what she was experiencing. In talking about her experience with her therapist, a word was introduced that startled her: “empty.” Upon hearing the statement, “Perhaps you’re feeling a little empty,” she was taken aback. Her first response was an emotional protest. How could she be feeling empty? But as her resistance began to dissipate, a glimmer of self-awareness began to unfold. Maybe she was feeling a bit empty. Over the next few weeks, she lived with the idea. Eventually, she accepted that this word accurately described her situation.