In relation to Christian growth, I've always understood and experienced its pattern to follow that of light, of sound, of the waves of the sea or the blowing of the wind. Light and sound come in the form of waves. Likewise, the waves of the sea or the blowing of the wind follow a pattern of regularity. The intensity comes and goes. The beach experiences this kind of pattern constantly. The waves rush in and then recede to prepare for the next. This rhythm has always been how I've understood and experienced my Christian growth. Waves come and go. They intensify and diminish. The thing about waves - they always leave their effects. Waves of sea and wind and light and sound affect and transform that which they contact.
If we look at a wave, we're able to identify things such as wavelengths, crests, troughs, wave frequency and wave effects. I suggest that we experience these same patterns in our process of Christian growth.
Crest
A crest is the top of a wave. In our context, a crest is a spiritual high. Sometimes these crests come naturally in our lives and other times they come through a church gathering, a concert or conference, a prayer walk, a life-crisis, or through moments of transition. Crests are moments where God feels closest. It's thought of to be our "mountain top" experience. They don't always depend on circumstance as much as they do perspective. When Stephen was being stoned (Acts 7:54-60), I believe he experienced a crest despite his circumstance - his perspective was the glory of God and the presence of Christ.
Trough
Unlike a crest, a trough is the low point of a wave. In our context, a trough is a spiritual low. It's in these lows when God feels the furthest from us. Perhaps it's a result of sin in one's life or perhaps it's when one feels stuck in a rut. Sometimes we end up in a trough because we've tried to seek holiness or righteousness through our own efforts instead of through the power of God. Troughs can come in many forms but the point is that at some point, the wave will recede. Like Job's experience, God's presence will not always feel as close or intimate as it once did. Sometimes the Christian will go through stages where God feels distant and far off. This can be self-inflicted or this can be something that God allows us to go through.
Wavelength
A wavelength is the distance between the crests of a wave. In a wavelength, a Christian experiences a crest, goes through a time of trough and then again experiences a crest. Again, we can look to Job. He was once blameless, spotless, his integrity was unquestioned and he had everything the world offered - this was a crest. God then allowed everything to be taken away from him - this was his trough. After his perseverance and faithfulness, he again experienced God's presence as well as blessings. The book of Job is a narrative about a wavelength.
Wave Frequency
A wave frequency describes the time period for a wavelength (crest to crest) to take place. Some Christians experience higher wave frequencies and some lower. The story of Job gives us a glimpse of a man with lower-type wave frequency. His wavelength took place over a longer period of time. Yet, there are some Christians who experience wavelengths on a weekly or daily basis.
"Crest to Trough" and "Trough to Crest"
There are two other time periods I'd like to talk about. One is a "Crest to Trough" and the other is a "Trough to Crest." In a Crest to Trough, I've seen a tendency in myself to develop a spiritual pride of sorts. Once I reach the crest, I feel pretty good about myself. I say, "Hey, look at me. I'm a serious and awesome follower of Christ." Once this Crest is reached, I fool myself into thinking that I reached here on my own merits. This prideful thinking leads me into a Crest to Trough period where my faith becomes arrogant and proud. This isn't a pleasant time to go through. It's a time that leads to darkness, rebellion, sin and selfish attitude/actions.
I consider the trough to be reached when I'm humbled, recognize and become aware of the Spirit's resounding conviction. This conviction leads me to refocus my perspective in Christ as opposed to myself. The Crest to Trough period ends in a bottoming out in the Trough. The next stage that I enter is the Trough to Crest. It's after I'm humbled and convicted of my sin that I reposition my heart to the Lord. Instead of thinking of my Christian walk in terms of me, I think of it in terms of we. Instead of thinking about my growth, I think of our growth; I think of Christ's growth in me. This period is marked by a time of growing, excitement, creativity and passion. It's a time fueled by a responsive love for God's beauty and glory. This is the Trough to Crest and it's my favorite stage.
Wave Effect
A wave effect is the result of the wave upon that which it interacts with. In relation to the a light wave, the effect of a light wave on an object has a tendency to increase the objects temperature depending on the intensity of the light. In relation to Christian growth, the wave effect will bring about maturity in the believer.
When I first came to the LORD in Christ, my wave frequency was much more intense. Some days I felt like I was going through a crest and the next, a trough. I seemed to be spiritually bi-polar. The longer I've known Christ, my wave frequency has become less intense. By less intense, I mean that it has slowed down and has become more consistent. Now, I experience an average wave frequency throughout a matter of months. I believe that the wave effect in the life of a maturing Christian has a tendency to do a couple things. First of all, as a believer experiences the wavelengths of life, he/she matures. Once maturing takes place, the believer is less inclined to have high frequency wavelengths marked by daily spiritual crests and troughs. When maturing takes place, a wavelength may be experienced throughout the course of a year or more. Based on my own experience, I've noticed that my wave frequency has gone from a matter of days to weeks to months. I'm aware of and had conversations with other older and much more mature Christians who continue to experience the crests and the troughs, but less frequent. I attribute this to maturity in Christ.
Another wave effect I recognize is that in the troughs, I'm closer to God than the crests of previous years. It's as if my spiritual lows are higher than my spiritual highs used to be. If hindsight is 20/20, then anticipating what God will continue to do in my heart in the future is electrifying. It excites me to continue a Christ-centered focus and know that through the troughs and the crests, I will continue to grow in him.
Life happens. Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. I can't say that I can nail down a universal and systematic process for when and why a person grows, but I'm confident to say Christian growth comes in waves. It's in both the good and bad circumstances of life that we have the opportunity to grow. Its through the crests and the troughs that we "develop perseverance and out of perseverance character and out of character hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Romans 5:4-5).
The Christian life mimics the patterns we seen in nature. The God who created the rhythms of light and sound; the God who created the moon and the stars also created me. I can expect that nature would be consistent with itself. I can expect that Christian growth will come in waves. I know that it's not only the crests that grow me; it's the troughs and stages in between as well. I pray that I can continue rhythms of the Christian life in a way that matures me and, more so, glorifies God.
