Every morning as I arrive at school, I walk into my room, set down my computer bag, and plop into my chair. When each class arrives, I take my place seated behind the teacher’s podium and begin my lesson.
During the hour, it’s not uncommon for me to get up and walk to the whiteboard and then return to my stool. I may even go back to my desk chair several times during each class. I depend on these chairs to do their job. You might say they’re my crutches.
But suppose I was a blind man and couldn’t see these chairs? With assistance, I could still find them. They would serve the same purpose and be just as dependable as when visible. My spiritual journey is similar. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).
I base my journey with God on faith, not sight. Except for long-distance email relationships, all my interactions are with people I can see, touch, hear, feel, and sometimes smell. Even my email-only contacts can send me a picture, so I’ll know they’re real people. With God, it’s faith only. No sight permitted. Yet this doesn’t mean my relationship with him is a crutch.
After creating the first human, God said it wasn’t good for him to be alone. He created a companion for Adam.
Of all the companions I could have—and of all the relationships I could enter—the one with God is the most important. If a crutch is defined as something I depend on to get me through life’s tough episodes—the valleys and mountains—then yes, God is my crutch.
But the overtone shouldn’t be negative. We might summon enough fortitude to handle life without falling apart, but life is better when we let God help us deal with it. After all, God is our creator and knows our beginning, middle, and end. Knowing that the only sensible thing entails depending on the One who is stronger and more intelligent than we are.
Faith in God is the best crutch you’ll ever use.
