Not every Christian who’s stuck is lost.
Some are saved. Truly.
They believe in Christ. They’ve been forgiven. They’ve been made new.
But they’ve stopped moving forward.
They’ve settled. They’re comfortable. They’ve built a little life in the shallows, right where it’s safe.
They show up to church every week.
They say all the right things.
They’ve been walking with God for years.
And yet spiritually, they haven’t taken a single step in a long, long time.
Why?
Because tradition told them they didn’t have to.
Somewhere along the line, they confused faithfulness with stagnation.
They thought showing up was growing.
They thought routine was maturity.
They thought doing the same thing for 30 years meant they were thriving. When all it really means is they’ve been stuck for 30 years.
They’ve built their house in the kiddie pool when God called them to deeper waters.
This is what tradition does when it’s left untested and unchallenged.
It makes people feel like they’ve “arrived” because they were raised right.
Because they don’t curse. Because they’ve never left the church. Because they know the hymns, the prayers, the Bible stories, and the memory verses.
And none of that is bad.
But if that’s where it ends, it’s tragic.
Hebrews 5:12 says:
“Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God.“
That verse is aimed directly at people who’ve been in the faith for years… and still haven’t grown past the basics.
Still living on spiritual milk.
Still shallow.
Still content.
They stopped asking questions.
Stopped wrestling with hard truths.
Stopped digging.
Because somewhere along the line, tradition made comfort their god.
Let’s be real.
Some of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about.
You’re saved. But if you’re honest, you’re stuck.
There’s no fire in your prayer life.
No hunger for the Word.
No joy in obedience.
No boldness, no purpose, no pressing into God.
You know you were made for more.
But tradition has trained you to stay put.
To sit down.
To nod along.
To never challenge what’s “always been done.”
Tradition says,
“Just be faithful. Don’t rock the boat.”
But Scripture says,
“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
Tradition says,
“Don’t question what’s always worked.”
But Scripture says,
“Examine everything carefully; hold fast to what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Tradition says,
“You’ve been here long enough, you’re doing fine.”
But Paul says,
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected… I press on.” (Philippians 3:12)
Even Paul, the man who wrote half the New Testament, said he hadn’t arrived.
So what makes you think you have?
If you’ve been stuck in neutral, this is your wake-up call.
Tradition is a tool. It’s not your Savior.
Faithfulness is good. But it’s not an excuse for laziness.
Being saved is the start. Not the finish line.
There is more.
More truth.
More transformation.
More sanctification.
More joy.
More intimacy with Christ.
More wisdom.
More maturity.
More purpose.
But you’ll never get there if you stay in the shallows, gripping a tradition that keeps you comfortable instead of pushing you to grow.
So here’s a question for you.
Do you want to just survive as a Christian?
Or do you want everything God has for you in this life?
Because make no mistake, there are believers who will enter heaven having barely known God.
They’ll be saved, yes…
But they’ll have missed out on so much of what He was ready to pour into their lives because they chose tradition over transformation.
Don’t let that be you.
Step out of the kiddie pool.
Go deeper.
Let the Spirit stretch you, convict you, challenge you, grow you.
And never confuse standing still with standing firm.
Leave a comment