What is Your Spiritual Provenance?

This word has been rattling around in my head for a while now. It’s not a word used that often. I have been aware of it but have heard it used several times recently in a movie series that my wife and I have been watching. Provenance refers to the source or origin of something, typically an object like a work of art, or in the case of the movies we’ve been watching, a letter sent through the postal service. (Bonus points to anyone who guesses the movie series.) It can also refer to the history of ownership.

While it is not typically used in this way, I’ve been thinking about how this applies to our spiritual walk with God. Specifically, when it began. I asked myself, ‘what is my spiritual provenance?’ What is the source, or more accurately, where did my faith begin? Where did it come from? And, what has the journey been like? Where has life taken my faith? These are not entirely easy questions to answer, but I believe worth the time to give them some thought. And if you’re like me, the answers are probably deeply personal.

Concerning the origin of our faith… I’ve always been fascinated by how some individuals have been Christian “their whole lives”, having been raised in the church and never known anything other than church on Sunday (and maybe Wednesday) and a life surrendered to God. And others, who have come to understand this whole faith-walk thing and relationship with Jesus later in their life. The wonderful and amazing thing is, I don’t really think it matters (to God, or should it to us) when you started your walk, the important thing is that you started it and you are now walking with Him!

A couple of passages that back this up. First, the parable of the worker in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) where at the end of the workday, the landowner pays the same amount to each worker, regardless of the time of day they started working. This is actually the passage that includes the familiar verse, “so the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (v.16) In short, God is telling us in this parable that we need not worry about judging who is worthy of what reward, it’s His decision and His only.

A second passage is the account of Jesus on the cross, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 23:39-43). Remember, there were three crosses on the hill that day. The other two were known criminals. One of them “hurled insults” and mocked Jesus. The other took a different approach. No doubt there was something different in his heart at this point in time. After rebuking the first criminal, he turned and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (v.42) Jesus then replied, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (v. 43) I guess you could consider this the original “deathbed conversion.” Again, the only person on the planet that knew the second criminal’s heart (and everyone else’s for that matter), was Jesus. And He knew at that point, the criminal’s heart was pure and genuine, recognizing Jesus for who he truly was: The son of God.

Where I’m going with this is that at the end of the day, God is the only one who knows our true spiritual provenance, (not to mention our hearts), probably even better than we do. We may look back to the day we “accepted Jesus” or some other milestone when we believed our walk began, but God knows the back-story. He knows the specific moment when the heart transplant took place.

I think there is a lot to learn from this little exercise – thinking about where our faith came from and when it really began. There may be little details that we have forgotten yet are meaningful. We may remember something differently, or there may be something you’ve recently learned that adds context to that time in your life. Depending on how much time has passed, you may even remember the event in a whole different light, offering you new perspective.

Just like the provenance of an antique clock or some family heirloom, our own provenance, from a spiritual perspective, is incredibly unique and personal. It is ours and ours only, and only God knows the whole story. So, who better to spend some time with, tracing our faith walk back to the beginning. It will deepen your relationship with Him. It will draw you closer.

At a minimum, you may be reminded of the joy, peace, love, (fill in the emotion you experienced) when you first acknowledged Jesus as your Lord and Savior and really started your walk with God. And renewed joy, or peace, or love... is a good thing.