Your faith is nothing but a crutch! If you’re so weak that you need a crutch, well, good for you. But I’m strong, I’m tough, and I don’t need a crutch.
Have you ever felt belittled by a friend or colleague who
exuded that sentiment, if not those exact words? I’ve heard it many times
from unbelievers--and it always makes me feel at least a little bit dejected.
It’s popular in our culture to consider ourselves
independent, self-assured, absolutely sufficient without need of resources
outside ourselves. But if we buy into that notion, we’ll be disappointed. Because
it’s utterly erroneous, false, misguided—in short, wrong, with a capital W.
How do I know that?
Because no servant is greater than his or her master, and
our Master made this unequivocal statement in John 5:30:
I can do nothing on my own. ... I seek not my own will but the
will of him who sent me. John 5:30 (ESV)
That’s Jesus Christ, talking. The Way. The Truth. The Life.
The one and only Son of the Father in Heaven. The Mighty King. Everlasting
Father. Prince of Peace. Lion of Judah. Morningstar. The King of Kings and Lord
of Lords.
You can’t get any stronger than He is. And yet, He—He!—says,
“I can do nothing on my own.”
So, if you and I need a crutch, we’re in the best of
company.
Now, then, once we can acknowledge that fact, we can go shopping for a
crutch. I remember shopping for a cane for my gram several years ago. I found quite a few flimsy little sticks that were prettified, colorful, even flamboyant ... but weak. I discarded those
immediately. I couldn't trust her to these -- they were insufficient to carry her weight.
Then I found one, finally, that would fit the bill. It was strong, gripped the ground without
slipping, had a firm handle she could clutch—in short, a crutch that could hold
her weight. That's the one I put into her weakening hands. That's the one I was willing to let her rest her weight upon.
If that’s what we need physically, how much more do we need
a strong, firmly grounded, easy-to-hold-onto support in spiritual terms?
Listen to the strength in the words of our Master, whose
authority from our Father in heaven is absolute:
Jesus said to them, “I am the
bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me
shall never thirst. … All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever
comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do
my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who
sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it
up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks
on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him
up on the last day.” John 6:35-40 (ESV)
Here’s the news flash. We all need a crutch—or at least
strength from outside ourselves. Our bodies are weak and tire more quickly today than they did yesterday. We may never be
more aware of that than in the moments when we’ve exhausted all our strength,
wisdom, and resources in caring for our aging loved ones. It's then, though, that we
are welcomed to receive Christ’s invitation to dump all our burdens on Him. He can take it. He has the
authority. And He has the inclination to come alongside us. He is the bread, so
we won’t starve in our weakness. He is the water of life, so we will be
refreshed in a parched land. He is the strength to save us from being lost in
the fretful waves of an uncertain present. He is the offer of an assured future
of eternal life with Him.
Suddenly, I’m feeling pretty good about acknowledging my
need for Christ’s brand of crutch. I hope and pray you are, too. As a book title by Joyce Rogers several years ago put it, "Lean Hard on Jesus." What a great invitation to take this crutch and see how well it supports the heavy weight you're shouldering.
Blessings and prayers on your work in His name today!
Julie
© 2012, Julie-Allyson Ieron. All rights reserved. For reprint permission, email: orders@joymediaservices.com
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