Growing in and walking the Christian
life is a process.
Sometimes we are bruised coming in
and are little fearful not knowing if we have the strength to endure the
journey as a Christian.
How many of you have ever broken or
sprained a bone in your leg, ankle or foot?
What did the doctor do? Generally,
some part of your recovery process involves using crutches until your injured
limb gains enough strength to hold your weight and function normally.
I have used crutches on a couple of
occasions and I can tell you crutches are no fun to use. They are sometimes
painful and frustrating.
However, the crutches helped me to
navigate until I healed enough to throw them away. It was much better using the
crutches than it was to hop around on one leg like a crippled rabbit.
A crutch is a noun that describes a
long staff of wood or metal having a rest for the armpit, for supporting the
weight of the body. A crutch is something that supports or sustains.
A common charge laid against God and
Christianity by non-believers is,
“They’re just a psychological crutch for weak, needy types.”
The implications here is that
strong, independent people don’t need a “crutch”. They can make it on their
own.
But the truth is we all have
psychological crutches –– the need to be loved, for example, and the need
for companionship.
Author and former pastor Bob Prall
writes,“If Christianity is a psychological crutch, then Jesus Christ came
because there was an epidemic of broken legs.”
Prall says everyone needs
assistance.
“The question is, what will you lean
on? Christianity provides what atheism or other religions never can: spiritual
fulfillment, peace, and forgiveness,” he wrote.
When you come to rely on your mental
or emotional crutches permanently, your spirit, your courage, your passion and
your zest for life become weak. They waste away from lack of use.
The crutches of self-doubt, low
self-esteem, wavering confidence, hopelessness, purposelessness and sheer
frustration have crippled many of us and rendered our spirit weak. We’ve
hobbled around long enough using those same old tired excuses as to why we
can’t seem to get on a good foot. It’s time to break the crutches and get back
to our life.
What's your spiritual crutch? What's
the thing or things holding us back from getting closer to God? What's the
thing holding us in our comfort zone and stunting our spiritual growth?
There is nothing wrong with leaning
on something as long as we are leaning on the Lord.
Deuteronomy 33:27 says, “The eternal
God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
In Isaiah 41:10 we see one of my
favorite scriptures, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with
my righteous right hand.”
The truth is when all of our own crutches
are broken and removed and all the we have left is God –– that God is more than
enough.
Be blessed.
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