The message of Jesus Christ speaks clearly to those of us who have tried to run the universe by ourselves, only to discover that it does not bend to our will. Christianity is for those of us who have tried to love deeply and nobly only to find both ourselves and those we love deeply flawed by selfishness and unyielding pride. Christianity speaks to us of justice and the value of all people in a world where injustice and exploitation and discrimination are a crippling reality for so many. It's no wonder we need a crutch to make it through life. Fortunately we are smart enough to realize that without the crutch of Jesus Christ we will spend our days limping and maybe even just crawling through life.
Life can be very tough indeed.
When we are fearful because of the deck turns out to be stacked against us, or we are filled with grief because of illness or death, or we are hobbled by anger, it is the supportive and healing presence of Jesus Christ that lifts us up and enables us to walk, not limp or crawl, through the random and not so random chances and changes of life. Yet it is more than just a crutch. Over time the presence of Jesus in our lives changes us. The longer and more attentively we walk through life with Jesus Christ and his disciples, the stronger we become. We find we have the inner courage to make hard decisions.