The ancient church fathers had a term for this Wall - they called it “the dark night of the soul.” They taught that in order to mature spiritually, we need to embrace God’s gift of the dark night, or the wall. This is the only way that we grow in Christ.

For most of us, this Wall appears through a crisis we did not see coming. For some, it turns our whole world upside down. It causes us to question ourselves, God, the church. We discover for the first time that our faith does not appear to “work.” We have more questions than answers as the very foundation of our faith feels like it is on the line. We don’t know where God is, what He is doing, where He is going, how He is getting us there, or when this will be over.

Regardless of whether you find yourself in a “dark night” right now, it won’t be long until you do find yourself in one, because it is a crucial part of our maturing in Christ.