{"id":120,"date":"2025-06-08T16:48:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T16:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120"},"modified":"2025-09-09T02:16:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T02:16:04","slug":"letter-twenty-flourishing-god-and-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120","title":{"rendered":"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hi Friend,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is my last letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can already think of about ten other letters with things I could write about. But you and I know that this is not how it works. I am nothing more than a fellow traveler, hopefully one of many that you\u2019ll meet along the way that you will learn from and teach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I\u2019ve thought for a while about what I\u2019d want to say to you\u2014to wrap this up, to offer something lasting, with the hope that we\u2019ll reconnect again in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you have sensed that I haven\u2019t written these letters to tell you how to think, or what to choose, how to navigate your evolving faith, or even whether to believe and have faith at all. Instead, I\u2019ve tried to focus on something simpler and maybe more important: how to take care of yourself while navigating your journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout it all, I\u2019ve made the assumption that you would prefer to hold onto some belief in God, and that you\u2019d like to stay in contact with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I want to use this final letter to talk two things I currently hold top of mind, and one thing I hold dear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m at the point in my journey where I mostly think about two important topics, the first of which is flourishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does flourishing mean? I think it\u2019s a good exercise to define it for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, flourishing means that despite all I\u2019ve been through, despite how much my perspective has changed, that I can find a way to move forward that is positive and leads to transformation. For me, right now, that includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reclaiming and owning authority, taking responsibility for oneself, one\u2019s values, growth, and the actions that will most help one achieve one\u2019s objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resilience, the ability to recover from setbacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accepting grace and knowing that one\u2019s healing is beyond what we ourselves can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling loved by the divine, without condition or merit and feeling self-worth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being able to listen and pull from many traditions and ideas, and take from it what is helpful for oneself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living with and being comfortable with complexity and uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Involved in authentic relationships and a supportive community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling a sense of meaning, awe and wonder with the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding a spirituality that allows one to connect with God and an ability to be nourished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these lead me to the second thing I hold top of mind, and that is meaning making: how to assign importance and meaning to the past and interpret things in a way to go forward confidently and with purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That feels like a day-by-day process, and that brings me to one thing that I hold dear: bringing questions to God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing I have appreciated about our LDS tradition is that it encourages us to take our questions to God. It was founded<\/em> on the very idea that when we have questions, we should go to God for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like one fellow traveler said to me, \u201cI prefer to get my answers from primary sources.\u201d Yes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout my own journey, my belief in God has never faltered. Oh, I\u2019ve tested it. But even when everything else was in question, I still believed because I chose<\/em> to believe. And I still do. It might be easiest to think I am wired for it. But in many ways, it just may be my preference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in my searching for God, I have found this: an even more loving, kind, and generous God than I previously believed in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I believe God is eternally invested in us, endlessly patient, and deeply good. I believe They want what\u2019s best for us. I believe They want<\/em> us to wrestle, to wonder, and to grow. And to do that, I believe They want us to ask questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember when we talked about Jacob wrestling the angel? When Jacob held him, he asked for a blessing. The angel blessed him and named him Israel. That name, Israel, means \u201cone who struggles with God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God lets us struggle so we can grow. And if God lets us struggle, I believe They also walk with us\u2014not just when we\u2019re faithful and sure, but also when we\u2019re uncertain and undone. Maybe more so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019ve felt alone in your questions, know this: you\u2019re not. I believe in a God that doesn\u2019t withdraw when we are wondering or wandering on our journey. God meets us there. Right there, in the middle of the journey, the twists, the turns, the wrong ways, because God is excited for us to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, \u201cEye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.\u201d (1 Corinthians 2:9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know what kinds of questions God answers or wants to answer. I\u2019ve tended to shy away from asking about missing car keys or what color to paint my house. I don\u2019t know if They answer those questions or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I do wonder if God is waiting for us to ask big questions. I\u2019m curious if They want us to think bigger, waiting to reveal to us more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe this faith journey is God\u2019s way of getting us to ask the big questions, to not be content with asking the small stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah Bessey said it right about faith journeys,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite possible that this is all part of God\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes one of the greatest gifts God gives us is losing our religion. We have to be committed to unlearning the unhelpful, broken, false, or incomplete things if we want to have more space to relearn the goodness, joy, and embrace of God.\u201d[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May, this is God\u2019s way of telling us, \u201cSure, I\u2019ll tell you where the car keys are. But next time, bring your big questions.\u201d<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know if I believe in a single straight and narrow path anymore. Let me rephrase that\u2013I am not sure that strait and narrow means a path rigidly defined by taking specific steps, checking off a list, following a long list of commandments, and doing it one way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think God wants us to listen to Them and for Them. I also think that They are every bit as vigilant as the father of the prodigal son in looking for us to return home, no matter the road, path, or field we take. I think we can find our way back to Them, finding that They are there, searching the horizon, waiting to embrace us again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I\u2019ve found that\u2019s what really matters no matter where you are on the journey. It\u2019s what\u2019s in your heart\u2014and who you\u2019re becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re becoming more loving, more patient, more kind\u2014then I believe you\u2019re doing the journey right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I first started my journey, I encountered people who had already been on theirs for ten or twelve years. That worried me. If they hadn\u2019t figured it out yet, how long would it take me to reach the destination?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the more I am on it, the more I realize there probably is no \u201cfiguring it out\u201d or any destination. There\u2019s no final state in this life where there is one Big \u201cT\u201d Truth, one catalog of knowledge. In some ways, it\u2019s a constant set of deconstruction and reconstruction to something higher, and better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It brings new light to the idea that Jesus is the way. He\u2019s not the path to get there, but the way to follow, and keep following. That\u2019s what\u2019s strait and narrow about the path: it involves love, and growth. It\u2019s narrow because so few choose it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brian McClaren summed it up well, \u201cGod is not a destination. Like a river, like a road, God takes us somewhere. For that reason, the authentic experience of communion with God leads into communion with all of God\u2019s creations. The deeper we go into the love of God, the deeper we are led into all that God loves.\u201d [2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, wherever your journey takes you, I hope you feel that love from God\u2014and that love for<\/em> all that God loves. That is flourishing. That is real peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Safe journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With warmth,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Friend<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P.S. I am glad I\u2019ve had this time with you on your journey. As we part, I am not sure where the path takes us. But I am really glad to be on it\u2013isn\u2019t that the exciting part? And, despite the pain, I am glad that you are on it too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My hope is that these words are helpful to you on your road to becoming. Much love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> Sarah Bessey, Field Notes for the Wilderness<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> Brian McClaren, Faith After Doubt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi Friend, This is my last letter. I can already think of about ten other letters with things I could write about. But you and I know that this is not how it works. I am nothing more than a fellow traveler, hopefully one of many that you\u2019ll meet along the way that you will […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[9,7,12,10,8,11],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-friend","tag-flourishing","tag-god","tag-growth","tag-hope","tag-questions","tag-searching"],"yoast_head":"\nLetter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions - Letters for the Journey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Focus on flourishing through faith reconstruction. Bring your big questions to God\u2014struggle is part of divine growth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions - Letters for the Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Focus on flourishing through faith reconstruction. Bring your big questions to God\u2014struggle is part of divine growth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Letters for the Journey\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-08T16:48:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-09T02:16:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"wkilmer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"wkilmer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120\",\"name\":\"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions - Letters for the Journey\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing-1024x576.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-08T16:48:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-09T02:16:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef23eced93f0a6094e8618297e4a9276\"},\"description\":\"Focus on flourishing through faith reconstruction. Bring your big questions to God\u2014struggle is part of divine growth.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/\",\"name\":\"Letters for the Journey\",\"description\":\"Encouragement and Support for Your Faith Journey\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef23eced93f0a6094e8618297e4a9276\",\"name\":\"wkilmer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dec4c4bfa3a1db0a99cddf61b6de37acec744739dd4bedc145c48d8344bf8028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dec4c4bfa3a1db0a99cddf61b6de37acec744739dd4bedc145c48d8344bf8028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"wkilmer\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions - Letters for the Journey","description":"Focus on flourishing through faith reconstruction. Bring your big questions to God\u2014struggle is part of divine growth.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions - Letters for the Journey","og_description":"Focus on flourishing through faith reconstruction. Bring your big questions to God\u2014struggle is part of divine growth.","og_url":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120","og_site_name":"Letters for the Journey","article_published_time":"2025-06-08T16:48:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-09T02:16:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"wkilmer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"wkilmer","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120","url":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120","name":"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions - Letters for the Journey","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing-1024x576.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-08T16:48:12+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-09T02:16:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef23eced93f0a6094e8618297e4a9276"},"description":"Focus on flourishing through faith reconstruction. Bring your big questions to God\u2014struggle is part of divine growth.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/flowers-and-flourishing.jpg","width":1280,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?p=120#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Letter Twenty: Flourishing, God, and Questions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#website","url":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/","name":"Letters for the Journey","description":"Encouragement and Support for Your Faith Journey","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#\/schema\/person\/ef23eced93f0a6094e8618297e4a9276","name":"wkilmer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dec4c4bfa3a1db0a99cddf61b6de37acec744739dd4bedc145c48d8344bf8028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dec4c4bfa3a1db0a99cddf61b6de37acec744739dd4bedc145c48d8344bf8028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"wkilmer"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com"],"url":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=120"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169,"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120\/revisions\/169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lettersforthejourney.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}