“Christianity is just a crutch for the weak.”
Have you ever heard or seen that claim before?
Or maybe it’s a chorus of disappointment from followers when a respected individual declares a dependence on God. They’re too smart/successful/etc to be one of those people that believe in the “make believe sky being”.
I was in a Bible study a long time ago when one of the guys told a story about how a friend laughed him off for missing out on the fun they were having. He told his friend that Christianity was for the strong; that it was easy to watch porn, to curse, cheat on your wife or sin. You had to be strong to resist the temptation to do those things.
I don’t know why, but that was a revolutionary thought to me then. You’d think I had never read the Bible or knew about the hardships of the followers of God. We read those stories in the Bible as if it was just an easy thing to defy the king and get thrown into the lion’s den or the fiery furnace.
But there’s nothing like experience to make it more real for you. Granted, if you’re in Western culture, the persecution that the Church goes through is pretty light. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t trials that we go through on an individual level.
Sickness, financial ruin, marital crises – there’s so much of just life that wants to suck the very faith out of you. So many of us discount the small, daily trials – even though they have the same goal: to wear you out to the point of giving up on God.
Strong When Weak
This is where our spiritual muscles get developed. This is why Christianity is for the strong. Maintaining your faith while going through the storm is hard work. Pushing through negative thoughts, discouragement and fear requires getting up off the floor – sometimes a hundred times – and continuing in faith.
However, if we’re all honest with ourselves, we know we’re weak. Like come on! We can barely pass up a free donut on a tray, let alone not allow discouragement to sweep us away on another pity party.
This is where the secret ingredient comes in; the actual key to what makes a Christian strong. Paul declares,
9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Even when we we’re weak, the God in us is strong. We are strong. We have the ability to fight through the pain, to look fear in the face, to resist the temptation of the enemy because the Holy Spirit in us is strong. How strong you might ask? A strength that can endure the cross and despise the shame because joy will come (Hebrews 12:2, Psalm 30:5).
Continue in Faith
I wish I could sit here and tell you that joy comes quickly or pain-free. I wish I could say that the tears still won’t sneak from your eyes and that you’ll never have doubts if this – whatever this is – will ever end.
Let the tears fall. Pace the floor a bit. Throw your hands up and yell if God is there at all or cares.
Then blow your nose, wash your face and keep it moving – in faith. You might feel a little sore the next day, but those muscles are being toned. Growth can’t happen when you quit. And there’s no magic potion that’s going to make you get #swoll without you putting in some work – and sticking to it.
When you’re trying to push out another rep in life, your limbs are shaking and the sweat is dripping, take a deep breath. Remember that His grace is there to help you grind it out little by little. Christianity isn’t a crutch for the weak. It’s a barbell for those willing to put in the work to be strong.
For a righteous man may fall seven times
Proverbs 24:16
And rise again,
But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
Next time you pass a mirror, pause and flex. You might be 90lbs dripping wet physically, but those spiritual muscles are popping. Fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12) and keep it moving for Jesus. This walk is not for the weak.
You got this. Because God got this. God’s grace is strong in you.
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