Christian theology insists that we do not need to search for God - God has already searched for us, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.
All we need to do is accept that God has sought us in His Son and allow ourselves to be found by Him - and to say yes.
And, the Bible tells us, those whom Christ has found, He will never let go.
But what do we say then of people who turn to Christ, spend time with Him, and fail to grow? Of course this situation is expressed in the famous Parable of the Sower; and Jesus warns us that there will be some for whom his words will fall on the path, and birds will come and eat them up; and others whose faith will spring up quickly in shallow soil and then be scorched by the sun and wither; again there will be those for whom Jesus' words will fall among thorns and grow to be choked by weeds.
Only for one group will those words fall on good soil and produce an abundant crop.
Elsewhere in the New Testament we also read that once Christ has found us He will never let us go.
How can this be true in the face of lacklustre or fallen-away Christians? Can we say that Christ has truly found them? The Bible, and Christian theology, can seem full of contradictions when faced with the reality of the human condition and the sheer subtlety and deviousness of what Christians describe as 'sin'.
Frances Thompson speaks in his poem "The Hound of Heaven" of having chased Him through the years, "through the labyrinthine ways of my own mind".
So did I chase Him, and I believed I saw Him in the tranquil expression in the eyes of a holy man I encountered near a cave in the Himalayas above Badrinath.
So did I chase God, and I believed I found Him at Binna Burra, in the mountain range behind Australia's Gold Coast.
Surely, I believed, God's presence is there in the birdsong that echoed across the cliffs of that mountain range.
I believe a search for God never ends - even if you have decided to identify yourself with one particular religious outlook, the journey continues.
Rabbi Lionel Blue said that he learned through experience that Judaism was his spiritual home, not his spiritual prison.
The main difficulty, therefore, for stagnant "believers", lies in the perception that we have somehow "arrived".
It seems part of human life to long to "sail into harbour.
" We find this applied in the area of sexual and romantic love, in the search for a life partner.
Somehow, finding the right person, and mutual commitment, seems to equate to "having arrived.
" But is this true to human nature and to the reality of life? And again, this principle applies to seeking fame and fortune.
There is a real danger in this process which is so well-recognised it has now become a cliche: "resting on your laurels".
Because it's a cliche it may be easy to overlook.
But the truth behind "resting on your laurels" can be tragic; it can mean loss, disaster, the failure of your dreams.
So I suggest that the key to answering the question: "Why do some believers fail to grow?" lies in recognising the truth that we never arrive: life is dynamic, always moving on.
To summarise, I can best quote words used by a homeless person who had come to a local homeless shelter run by The Salvation Army, and found food, shelter, loving acceptance and long-term support to rebuild his life.
He felt hopeful, reassured, empowered.
And what did he say of his new vision for his future? "I'm looking forward to the journey.
" Those are words to humble and inspire us all.
S.
C.
Skillman