Crutch

So many times I have heard the saying, "Christianity is a crutch," and like so many others, I have argued against it. The truth of the matter though, is that Christianity IS a crutch...or should I say, "Jesus Christ is a crutch."

Think about it. What is a crutch? It is an object that enables a person to walk who could otherwise not do it alone. With that in mind then, Jesus Christ IS our crutch. When we argue against this idea, we are doing a disservice to those who have offended us. One of the biggest barriers between non believers and the Lord, is Independence; this incessant need to do everything on our own. In order to follow Christ, we all came to the end of ourselves at some point and cried out for help. Why then, would we defend our Independence to others? Our dependence is what saved us! We must not insist to others then, that we are walking unattended!

No, we DO have a crutch! As we carry our cross, He holds us up and HE leads us into victory; something that we could never have done without His assistance. We should boast in this; not cower. He is sufficient and He doesn't need us to defend Him either.

Next time someone accuses you of using Christianity as a crutch, show them the beautiful scarred Hands that are holding you up, and ask them why they insist on crawling?

Just keep breathing...

If only my heart looked inviting and warm to the touch...if only I could offer it up and say, "look!  It is beating!"  

 

If  desire could light that heart on fire, I would be consumed by its flames.

 

If only my eyes looked kind and trusting; the kind of eyes that sparkled into a smile..and then I could say, "look!  They shine!"

 

There is a quiet desperation- mouth opened wide in the expression- of a scream...

and I sit on my hands to keep them from tearing things down.

 

There is a peace somewhere. Somewhere inbetween the running, the singing, the falling, the reaching, the screaming...but I can't grab it while my hands are placed beneath me-

in order to keep me-

from myself.

 

(Just keep breathing.)

Gotta Have Faith-a-faith-a-faith-a!

Let's talk about faith and some things that go along with faith that I myself have struggled with greatly.  This can all get very confusing at times, and because of this, there are a lot of people walking around who are overwhelmingly discouraged.  Lots of times this is perhaps because they believed something wholeheartedly and yet, God "did not answer". 
Let's not give this a cookie cutter answer.  Let's REALLY think about this and what it means to have faith.  Sometimes, we do "everything right", and everything still falls apart around us. What then?  If you don't believe me that this happens, go read the Book of Job.  Job was known for being righteous and God loved him VERY much...and yet his great faith was actually the REASON that God allowed things to happen.  God knew that Job would hold onto Him even when everything fell apart, and in the end Job was blessed with double the amount that he had to begin with.
 So, where does that leave us?  We all hear that if we have enough faith, that whatever we pray will happen.  While that is a promise of Jesus', does that mean that if something doesn't happen, that we didn't believe hard enough?  Or does it mean that having faith really means TRUSTING God with WHATEVER outcome He has planned and TRUSTING that because He sees the end of our story, that whatever happens...it is His best?  Yes, I believe so.  "YOUR WILL BE DONE."  I don't think that God wants us to run around guessing at His will and then to become discouraged when things don't go the way that we believe they should.  In fact, isn't that testing God in a sense?  Jesus specifically rebuked the devil for tempting Him to do that very thing.  I am not suggesting that we stop praying for and believing that God is going to deliver us from things.  I am not suggesting that God is not going to give you that miracle that He has promised you.  What I am suggesting though, is that you and I have NO idea what that miracle looks like and if we think that we do, we are going to find ourselves discouraged over and over again when it doesn't look like He has answered...and then our faith can be shaken..not destroyed, but shaken.  Trusting God with the details actually strengthens our faith because it takes us and our image of deliverance out of the picture.

God is love and God is good.  REMEMBER THAT....no matter how things appear, what things look like, or how they feel- HE IS LOVE AND HE IS GOOD, and therefore you can put your faith in Him.