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    The Journey of Desire Study Guide Expanded Edition: Searching for the Life You've Always Dreamed Of
    The Journey of Desire Study Guide Expanded Edition: Searching for the Life You've Always Dreamed Of
    The Journey of Desire Study Guide Expanded Edition: Searching for the Life You've Always Dreamed Of
    Ebook251 pages5 hours

    The Journey of Desire Study Guide Expanded Edition: Searching for the Life You've Always Dreamed Of

    By John Eldredge and Craig McConnell

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    About this ebook

    Chasing After What God Has in Store for You...

    Most contemporary Americans share the same dilemma: they long for purpose in life, but they’re not sure how to find it… or even what it might look like if they did. Yet the little-known truth is that the secret of a person’s true purpose is coded in the desires of his or her own heart.

    In this revised and updated study guide, bestselling author John Eldredge takes you deeper into the secret of finding that life, identifying the battle over your heart, and embracing all God has in store for you. Packed with questions, stories, and discussion topics, this study guide features:

    • Counsel for the Journey: The central truths to discover in each chapter
    • Inspiration: A song or movie selection from John that will help you along your journey
    • Tracks of a Fellow Traveler: A personal note from “fellow traveller” Stasi Eldredge
    • Leader’s Guide: A new leader’s guide to help you guide groups through the material

    Destiny lies locked in your heart. The keys of release are your hidden desires, and by examining them in light of God’s design you can discover the best route to an authentic and fulfilling life. Will you take that journey?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateMar 21, 2017
    ISBN9780310084822
    The Journey of Desire Study Guide Expanded Edition: Searching for the Life You've Always Dreamed Of
    Author

    John Eldredge

    John Eldredge is a bestselling author, a counselor, and a teacher. He is also president of Wild at Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recover their own hearts in God's love, and learn to live in God's kingdom. John and his wife, Stasi, live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

    Read more from John Eldredge

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      Book preview

      The Journey of Desire Study Guide Expanded Edition - John Eldredge

      INTRODUCTION

      You are about to embark on what may be the most life-changing journey you’ve ever taken. This is not a simple workbook you’re about to do. This is not a quick run down to the market for a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. This is a mission on the level of the Illiad or Pilgrim’s Progress or The Lord of the Rings—a desperate quest through dangerous country to a destination that is, beyond all your wildest hopes, indescribably good. The more you are able to think about what you are doing in more heroic and mythical terms, the better it will go for you.

      Knowing quite well that this is no stroll in the park you are about to undertake, we’d like to offer a bit of counsel before you set out. The first piece of advice is about the nature of a journey. Ulysses sailed; Pilgrim and Frodo walked the better part of their quests. We postmoderns haven’t anything in our experience to equal that. Thanks to modern air travel (the way most people take their adventures these days), we think nothing of hopping over thousands of miles of terrain in a matter of moments. I think it’s bred a sort of impatience with any journey we now take. We’re quite put out if we’re delayed by a few hours from accomplishing what would have taken our ancestors months to get through.

      And that impatience is a dangerous thing when it comes to interior journeys, spiritual quests, pilgrimages of the soul. For in these journeys we must cover the miles step-by-step, feeling the terrain as we pass through it, responding to its challenges. There is no rushing this; there are no shortcuts. But that is what makes it so beautiful and dangerous and wonderful. We don’t snap a few photos and rush on; rather, we are changed by our travels. I think C. H. Spurgeon had this in mind when he warned that a pilgrim will be better served by one book thoroughly mastered than by twenty books he has merely skimmed. Little learning and much pride come of hasty reading. Or hasty travel, we might add.

      In other words, take your time. Beginning to understand your heart, to hear its pulse, to know its desires and passions, is perhaps the most important skill to learn, yet the most difficult as well. For many of you, life has done your heart much damage, numbing you and leaving you almost deaf to your heart’s whispers. Be patient . . . it will come. Approach this as a quest for an elusive treasure you must take on foot. That sort of mindset will serve you well.

      THE NATURE OF DESIRE

      And now for a few thoughts on the nature of desire. Your desires will seem, at most times, a secret that may surface and then hide again in the deeper places of your heart. Recalling these defining desires cannot be rushed, or, for that matter, orchestrated. It takes time, reflection, and allowing your heart to be moved as you sort through things. Throughout this journey a recurring exercise will involve remembering and articulating—remembering more and further clarifying your own desires. Sometimes it will help to recall certain music, movies, books, friends, adventures, or photos that stirred your soul.

      This uncovering of desire is personal and unique. Go to the places that will stir your memories of your desires, yearnings for life, your hopes and aspirations. Would looking through a photo album or some old videos do it? Perhaps recalling and listening to your favorite music from the past (what made it your favorite?), returning to your old neighborhood, or a special location (a park, cabin, store) might help. You’ll notice that we’ve responded to a number of the questions with our own journaling. I take one chapter, Craig takes another, and so on through the journal. We did so partly because writing this evoked so much within our own hearts, and partly because we hope it will be helpful to you. Sometimes hearing the inner thoughts of someone else can help you identify your own. But that’s all those entries are there for; please don’t let them limit the nature of your response in any way. After all, this is your journey.

      Some of the questions we’ve posed might seem repetitious from chapter to chapter. There’s a reason for that. This is a journey of discovery and exploration, and as you move forward you’ll come to new and deeper insights. Allow yourself to revisit issues when we bring them up again—you might be surprised what more you learn.

      One more thing about desire: it will help you greatly to begin to distinguish your desires from the objects that seem to have aroused them, or promise to fulfill them. What God uses to awaken our desire is not always what he brings to us in order to complete it. This is not a bait-and-switch game played by a cheap magician; it is simply that God always works with us wherever we are, while ever desiring to lead us further up and further in. C. S Lewis used the marvelous illustration of two children overhearing their parents discussing the delicious joys of sex. Having no experience or maturity for that sort of thing, the children concluded that the grown-ups must be talking about chocolate. Let your desire be awakened by all that has ever roused it, but do not insist on writing the end of this journey too quickly or too narrowly. As G. K. Chesterton reminds us, one of the essential ingredients of joy is the element of surprise.

      INSPIRATION FOR THE JOURNEY

      At the outset of each chapter, we’ve provided some counsel to guide as you start each mile of the journey. This is followed by an inspiration—a song or a movie that has helped us (and many others) in our own journeys. You might want to listen to the song or watch the movie before setting out, or somewhere along that mile. Of course, you’ll have your own inspirations that have meant something to you as well—by all means, use them.

      Keep an eye out for those gifts of inspiration God will bring during your travels; it will be a delightful surprise to watch what he offers at each stage of your voyage. Annie Dillard says, The world is fairly studded and strewn with unwrapped gifts and free surprises . . . cast broadside from a generous hand. Also watch for the Tracks of a Fellow Traveler that you will find throughout each chapter. These are notes and reflections from other travelers—most past and present—who have walked the same road as you.

      Above all else, remember that you are not taking this journey alone. Jesus promised, Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you . . . He will guide you into all truth (John 16:7, 13). You have a Guide for this journey, and he is far more committed to your success than you are yourself. Thank God for that.

      SELAH

      You may have noticed in your reading of the Psalms the word selah. While biblical scholars are uncertain about the exact meaning of this ancient Hebrew term, it is generally believed to be a musical instruction for a pause or rest. One interpretation is that it is related to celah, a Hebrew root word that means to hang. In ancient times, people weighed money, food, and other valuables by hanging them on a type of balance—and thus measured their value.

      This implies that selah might be an instruction to pause and carefully measure the preceeding statements. The idea is even more lovely than the word—to allow a moment or two of internal pause, rest, a momentary Sabbath to reflect on what we’ve read—before we carry on with whatever it is we are about. Rare in our day, and priceless.

      I think this idea is especially helpful in reading. I’m afraid I plow through books like I plow through a bag of cookies, eager to consume more, without allowing my soul a few moments to soak in, measure, or digest what I’ve just encountered, or simply rest before I take in more. So I have added a selah to the end of each mile, with some notes or a prayer to allow your soul that lovely rest so essential to true transformation.

      FOR GROUPS

      The Journey of Desire Study Guide has been designed to walk you through the concepts in the book, and it is ideal for individual study. However, you can also use the guide in a group setting, such as a church small-group or a Sunday school class. For more information on how to go through the material as a group, see the leader’s guide section at the back of this guide. It will provide a basic plan of how to set up your group time, navigate problems and opportunities that may come up during your discussion, and get the most out of the study as a group.

      May the road rise to meet you

      May the wind be always at your back

      And may the Lord hold you in the hollow of his hand.

      —JOHN AND CRAIG

      MILE ONE

      OUR HEART’S DEEPEST SECRET

      It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger for them.

      —G

      EORGE

      E

      LIOT

      And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.

      —U2

      Counsel for the Journey

      As you set out on the first leg of your journey, it might be good to remember what it was like to begin the first day of exercise, or a new job, or the next grade level at school in the fall. It felt a little awkward at first, didn’t it? It took time to find your stride. This journal will probably feel the same way. Remember—our desires often seem a secret that may surface at times and then hide again in the deeper places of our heart. Recalling these defining desires cannot be rushed, or for that matter, orchestrated. It takes time, reflection, and allowing your heart to be moved as you sort through things.

      In this chapter, what you’re after is to awaken the deep desires of your heart and begin to put some words to it all. That’s about it. The exercises are designed to arouse your desires, bring them up from the places we all tend to bury them, and help you articulate them.

      Inspiration

      There is a classic song by the band U2 called I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, which presents the yearning of our hearts through simple though passionate lyrics and soaring choruses. (How much of the music you love presents this theme of desire for something not yet embraced?) I (John—I’ll be writing this first chapter) love the live version, complete with gospel choir, off the Rattle and Hum album. Listen to this as loud as you can and see if your heart goes in the same direction as mine: Lord, I do, I really do desire more. More of Life. More of you.

      Once upon a time there lived a sea lion who had lost the sea.

      He lived in a country known as the barren lands. High on a plateau, far from any coast, it was a place so dry and dusty that it could only be called a desert. A kind of coarse grass grew in patches here and there, and a few trees were scattered across the horizon. But mostly, it was dust. And sometimes wind, which together make one very thirsty. Of course, it must seem strange to you that such a beautiful creature should wind up in a desert at all. He was, mind you, a sea lion. But things like this do happen.

      How the sea lion came to the barren lands, no one could remember. It all seemed so very long ago. So long, in fact, it appeared as though he had always been there. Not that he belonged in such an arid place. How could that be? He was, after all, a sea lion. But as you know, once you have lived so long in a certain spot, no matter how odd, you come to think of it as home (Journey of Desire, page xiii).

      Take a moment and respond to this opening passage from the story of the sea lion. What thoughts or feelings does it evoke in you? Is there anything about your own life over the years that resonates with the sea lion’s plight?

      SETTING FORTH

      There is a secret set within each of our hearts. It often goes unnoticed, we rarely can put words to it, and yet it guides us throughout the days of our lives. This secret remains hidden for the most part in our deepest selves. It is simply the desire for life as it was meant to be . . . It is elusive, to be sure. It seems to come and go at will . . . And though it seems to taunt us, and may at times cause us great pain, we know when it returns that it is priceless. For if we could recover this desire, unearth it from beneath all other distractions, and embrace it as our deepest treasure, we would discover the secret of our existence (pages 1–2).

      Your existence has a deep meaning. Yet for most of us, it remains hidden, shrouded, buried beneath all the other pressures and demands and busyness of life. But it doesn’t go away. Your life has a secret, something written deep in your heart. Have you ever stopped to wonder, What is the point of my life? Who am I, really? Why am I even here—why did God create me? How would you respond to those questions now? What is the secret of your life?

      Several years ago I would have answered, All I know is, there’s got to be more. I don’t know what it is yet, but I know that the life I’m living can’t be the fulfillment of my destiny. More recently, though, I think I could say some things that are deeply true about the secret of my life. I know I’m here to set hearts free. A William Wilberforce to free the hearts of men and women. (God spoke that to me through a book several years ago). I know I’m meant to write and speak about the heart and lead a fellowship. I know I need wilderness, that my heart is wild and free. I know the life I’ve chosen, the friends I have, the way my family lives is deeply true—truer than it’s ever been. I’m living in a MUCH larger story. And I’m deeply grateful that I’m able to say that because there were many, many years of just feeling . . . lost. (John)

      Isn’t there a life you have been searching for all your days? You may not always be aware of your search, and there are times when you seem to have abandoned looking altogether. But again and again it returns to us, this yearning that cries out for the life we prize . . . You see, even while we are doing other things, getting on with life, we still have an eye out for the life we secretly want. When someone seems to have gotten it together we wonder, How did he do it? Maybe if we read the same book, spent time with him, went to his church, things would come together for us as well. You see, we can never entirely give up our quest (pages 1, 11).

      If your life could be better this next year, what would it look like? What would change?

      Is there anything about someone else’s life that really looks good to you right now?

      WHISPERS OF JOY

      The clue as to who we really are and why we are here comes to us through our heart’s desire. But it comes in surprising ways, and so often goes unnoticed, or misunderstood. Once in a while life comes together for us in a way that feels so good and right and what we’ve been waiting for. These are the moments in our lives that we wish could go on forever. They aren’t necessarily the Kodak moments, weddings and births and great achievements. More often than not they come in subtler, unexpected ways, as if to sneak up on us.

      Think of times in your life that made you wish for all the world that you had the power to make time stand still. Are they not moments of love, moments of joy? Simple moments of rest and quiet when all seems to be well. Something in your heart says, Finally—it has come. This is what I was made for! (pages 2–3).

      Unearthing our desire isn’t a quick and easy thing. So start with just a good moment from the last few weeks—something that may seem rather simple, but it made you glad. What happened? Why was it a good moment?

      OK, we’re getting warmed up. Now think of another good moment from the past year. What happened? Why was it a good moment?

      Now pick one of the best moments from the past few years. Write about it, as I wrote about the evening my family shared in the Tetons. (In fact, it might help to reread that passage from pages 3–4 before you write your own account.) Who was there with you? What were your surroundings? Why was it such a good moment? If you have a photo from that time, it might help to look at it as you write.

      Tracks of a Fellow Traveler

      One of my best moments came at the end of a wonderful day. My family and a

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