We all have high aspirations for our lives. Yet many of us never achieve them because of burdens either self-inflicted or more often thrust upon us. As a child, we are unaware of them, but as we mature, the reality that our life may not amount to much sets in. Then we are gripped by a kind of desperation, a devil-may-care awareness of our situation, that we can’t change it. Without realizing it, we become fatalistic in our view of life, a ‘Que Sera, Sera’ attitude, ‘What will be, Will be’.
We tell ourselves, for one reason or another, that we can’t help it because we are forced to be occupied with the cares of the world, a euphemism for our responsibilities. And in a sense, we can’t. Burdens weigh us down, sapping our mental and physical strength by repetitive futile cycles of worry and frustration. Perhaps it’s a career that isn’t progressing, the responsibility for a child who can’t make it in the real world, or an addiction to drugs that drains us. Whatever the problem, we feel lost and hopeless.
Then someone tells us about Jesus, the author of our salvation, and our hope is renewed. We’re told he will lift our burden and put our feet on solid ground, that we can walk toward significance after all. We embrace this news with joy and then we’re told the method to accomplish our salvation. We must work toward it by charitable acts, by giving financially to the church, and spreading the good news to others. All of a sudden, our purpose is bigger than in our previous attitude and we feel good again, perhaps for the first time since we were children.
But as time goes by, there’s something wrong. Our euphoria isn’t reinvigorated by our good works, the church is a bottomless drain on our finances, and almost everyone rejects the message that we give them. And then comes disenchantment, in stages at first, until it reaches double-down despair. We wish we had never heard of Jesus and been deceived by charlatans in priestly robes. We are part of the hopeless masses again, determined not to be fooled a second time. The mantra, ‘Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.’ becomes our watchword for the future and nothing anybody can say will change our minds. We are living in a post-Christian society.
Has this been your experience? Are you saying, ‘That’s Right!’ to this description of your life? If you are, you aren’t alone, but that isn’t much comfort for your troubled soul. What has happened to you has happened to so many others. You have been told a half-truth, the hardest lie to detect and reject. The true part is that the gospel of Jesus is good news, in fact, that’s the meaning of the word ‘gospel’. But the lie is that there’s a method to receive salvation. The Bible never teaches that. Instead, it teaches the way to salvation is through a relationship with Jesus. He is described as the author of our salvation, not ourselves. And like any good relationship, there is communication and trust between him and us. We believe him because we know him; and he believes us, in our profession of faith, because he knows us. He gives us the gift of salvation, not a reward for services rendered, and we reciprocate in love. Our gift to him is worship and devotion.
If these things sound strange to you, you have never experienced true Christianity. Instead, you have endured its counterfeit. And true to my previous declaration, nothing I can say will change your mind to give Christ another chance to know you. This reaction is expected by evangelists and anticipated by God from the foundation of the world. Yet we keep trying to reach the disenchanted because the Bible tells us that God’s Spirit, his Holy Spirit, can do what we can’t, he can turn your life around. You don’t have to believe me about this. If the Holy Spirit is working in you to give Jesus a second chance, you will take the plunge again. And this time, receiving his gift without the attached string of works, will truly change your life. This is the testimony of thousands who have lived before you, carried their burdens, and found them lifted by Jesus. Unlike what you were told before, the burdens don’t go away but rather, they are carried by Jesus. You tell him your problems through prayer and then you trust him to handle them. You don’t have to worry about your job; Jesus will put you where you should be. You don’t need to be anxious about your children; Jesus will decide what to do about them. And your addiction becomes manageable; Jesus will fight it for you.
But make no mistake, there will still be pain and suffering. After all, you’re living in a corrupt world. The promise of Jesus is not to free you from it now; that is after death. But for now, he does promise to go through it with you, to be your strength and guide when you need him, and a friend at all times. You trust that his will is best, whether you see it as good or bad, because there is no greater understanding than his and no greater power to accomplish good in this world. Instead of ‘Que Sera, Sera’, it is ‘His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ You see, trusting Jesus is the key to happiness in a fallen world. But don’t take my word for it because who am I to tell you what is true? Instead, read the gospel accounts of him for yourself (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and don’t be influenced by potential charlatans who tell you what these letters say. Give him and yourself another chance for a genuine relationship.
