This is Faith in Play #103: Quest, for June 2026.
This article was inspired by comments in Hector Miraz’ Faith and Fandom: Level Three about commitment.
Rendering of the Arturian Questing Beast
One of the common features of fantasy adventures is the quest, the hero committing himself to finding some particular object and taking some appropriate action once it’s found. Among early examples are the search for the Holy Grail from Arthurian legend, and there was reference to the Questing Beast, a creature that was sought but never found. More modern fictional examples would include Indiana Jones, who also goes on a quest for the Grail.
We have quests in our own time. Obviously archaeologists are often questing to find proof of the existence, time, and place, of King Arthur and Camelot. That, though, is the tip of an iceberg. Scientists quest to find subatomic particles and astronomical events predicted by their theories but not yet proven; some enter various wilderness areas or underwater worlds seeking undiscovered life forms or geological features or fossils. Detectives commit themselves to solving crimes and finding persons responsible for them.
What all these examples have in common is a commitment to reach a goal. The goal might be difficult to achieve but expressed simply, such as reach the top of this mountain. It might be complicated, as any quest that involves solving clues to move closer to the objective. It might be serious, such as find a cure for this disease, or frivolous, such as get to the ice cream parlor before it closes, or find a suitable present for someone’s birthday. These are all in the most basic sense quests, efforts to reach a desired outcome or ending.
One aspect of a quest is that we usually know when it is successful, but it is much more difficult to say that it has failed. The effort to reach the north pole was aborted numerous times, but eventually succeeded. Arguably it never failed; it simply faced multiple setbacks before finally succeeding.
Thus quests require and demonstrate commitment, the determination to see the task through to the end. There is a sense in which a trip to the grocery store to buy some salt is a quest, but unless there are significant obstacles involved we don’t usually refer to it that way. The quest is about overcoming the obstacles and reaching the goal, accomplishing the task, and succeeding against the odds.
That commitment is part of our faith. We are on a quest to become exemplary children of God, demonstrating who He is by who we are. It is not a simple walk in the park, but a challenging obstacle-filled journey in which enemies impede us at every step. We know the goal, and we commit ourselves to reaching it, to continuing to pursue it daily, knowing that we have His help to get us there.
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Next article: Loneliness.