Ascending Journey: Embracing Dynamic Spiritual Growth
The true path of a person striving for God is not only a continuous movement forward but also upward, meaning the combination of horizontal and vertical directions in life. As one source states, "A person's life with God is a journey, and Christ said about it: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life'... The journey to God is not just forward, it is forward and upward. This is the horizontal and the vertical. And where there is a horizontal and vertical, there is the cross, and where there is the cross, there is Christ, and where there is Christ, there is Life.
And so, a person stands before a choice: which path to choose?" (source: link txt). The essence of this path lies in constant striving, self-transcendence, and spiritual renewal; it involves renouncing evil and base passions in order to attain a higher way of life in Christ.However, there is also a dangerous "trap" along this path. If the seeker stops moving and becomes satisfied with the achieved level of spiritual development, that very pause becomes the beginning of a slide toward vice. As stated in another material: "Moreover, stopping in this movement is unsafe, for every good is limited only by its opposite… And just as the end of life is the beginning of death, so too does ceasing to proceed on the path of virtue become the beginning of a movement toward vice… The seeking is infinite and must be unceasing…" (source: link txt). Thus, if a person, having reached a certain spiritual height, succumbs to the temptation of remaining in place, it may lead to spiritual stagnation and, eventually, a shift toward vice.In summary, the true path to God is a dynamic, upward journey that demands constant effort and inner struggle, while the "trap" arises when a person decides to cease progressing, potentially leading to a loss of accumulated spiritual strength and subsequent downfall.