By M McCoubrey
I've heard for years from atheists: Jesus is just a crutch
that Christians use to make ourselves feel better. When things are going wrong
or bad things happen, Jesus is just a way of making ourselves feel better by
saying that it's part of His good plan. When things are going well, it's a
purposeful gift to us rather than just luck or happenstance. When things don't
make sense, we console ourselves that God has a plan we just can't see. And
when we ponder the meaning of it all, of course we want to hear that it was for
a wonderful purpose that we are at the center of rather than just randomness.
In fact, in my days before getting to know Christ, I said these same things. I
bought into the 'religion is for the weak' mentality and fell on my science
background as proof that we are alone in the universe and that we must take
care of ourselves. Jesus is just a crutch to feel less lost and hopeless.
But here's the catch that I figured out so many years too late: crutches aren't an inherently bad thing. Crutches are used by the weak and the broken. No one blames the man with the broken leg for using them or the paraplegic for using a wheelchair. My mistake wasn't in how I viewed Jesus, it was how I viewed myself. I thought of myself as independent and able, but I am broken. I cannot stand on my own and no matter what I do, nothing can change that. I need a crutch. And so do you. Deep down, we all know that we are unable to do this on our own. And yet because of expectations we feel, we are still racked with guilt and shame when we fail. But really, does anyone blame the paraplegic for not standing?
So when we look at this correctly, the question is not 'Am I using a crutch?' but 'How good is the crutch I am using?' We choose, all of us choose, to use any number of things to look more upright than we are. Some of us use money and position. Some use a fancy car or a nice home. Most of us use a relative ‘goodness’ scale comparing ourselves to the worst of society to justify that we are really not so bad. Others rely on friendships or family or accolades to convince themselves that they aren't completely crippled. But in the end, these are all crutches made of paper. They hold no intrinsic strength, no assurance, and can fail us at any time.
But the crutch I use now, the one who came to give strength to the weak, He is power. He is strength and He is life. Jesus does not command us to walk on our own but says 'I know you can't do this, let me do this for you'. Without requirement, payment, or guilt, Jesus acts as my crutch every day that I let Him and He holds me higher than I could ever be on my own. I stand not in my strength but in His.
Praise be to God - Jesus is my crutch.
But here's the catch that I figured out so many years too late: crutches aren't an inherently bad thing. Crutches are used by the weak and the broken. No one blames the man with the broken leg for using them or the paraplegic for using a wheelchair. My mistake wasn't in how I viewed Jesus, it was how I viewed myself. I thought of myself as independent and able, but I am broken. I cannot stand on my own and no matter what I do, nothing can change that. I need a crutch. And so do you. Deep down, we all know that we are unable to do this on our own. And yet because of expectations we feel, we are still racked with guilt and shame when we fail. But really, does anyone blame the paraplegic for not standing?
So when we look at this correctly, the question is not 'Am I using a crutch?' but 'How good is the crutch I am using?' We choose, all of us choose, to use any number of things to look more upright than we are. Some of us use money and position. Some use a fancy car or a nice home. Most of us use a relative ‘goodness’ scale comparing ourselves to the worst of society to justify that we are really not so bad. Others rely on friendships or family or accolades to convince themselves that they aren't completely crippled. But in the end, these are all crutches made of paper. They hold no intrinsic strength, no assurance, and can fail us at any time.
But the crutch I use now, the one who came to give strength to the weak, He is power. He is strength and He is life. Jesus does not command us to walk on our own but says 'I know you can't do this, let me do this for you'. Without requirement, payment, or guilt, Jesus acts as my crutch every day that I let Him and He holds me higher than I could ever be on my own. I stand not in my strength but in His.
Praise be to God - Jesus is my crutch.
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