Christian Cliches are NOT Enough!

I hate Christian platitudes. I always have. I remember when I was a much-younger Christian and I had some really tough questions, and – when I finally mustered up enough courage to ask other supposedly more mature Christians – I always seemed to get one of those stupid, worthless pat-answers.

You know the ones:

• “It won’t matter in light of all eternity.”
• “All things work together for the good.”
• “God is sovereign,”
• “This too shall pass.” And my ultimate worst-favorite,
• “You gotta let God be God.”

None of these meaningless slogans helped. The life-stuff I had been through, and the subsequent fallout I was still struggling with, simply could not be smoothed over by ineffective, sweet-nothings. If Jesus really was real, I needed to know how He could make a difference to me. Right here, right now: in the midst of all of life’s biggest uglies.

Maybe you can relate to that. Maybe you are wrestling with one of life’s biggest uglies right now. Maybe you have just lost your job, half of your investments, your home, or all the above. Maybe you are living in constant terror that you might be the next one in your circle of friends who loses it all. Maybe you feel worthless or unwanted at home, or are experiencing rejection or failure in a relationship. Perhaps you have been cheated, deceived or taken advantage of.

You may be suffering with one of life’s greatest losses – the loss of a loved one, the destruction of a marriage, the disintegration of your lifestyle, the crushing of your dignity or the disappearance of your hope. You could be in a situation that feels so wrong in every way, maybe you have been abandoned, neglected or abused.

Maybe you are wondering, “If Jesus exists, why doesn’t He make a difference in my life?” Maybe you are thinking as I once did, “What good is my "faith" when my life is crumbling down around me?”

For a long time in my Christian walk, I knew that Jesus existed, and I was pretty sure that if I died I’d go to heaven. But what I really needed was a faith that made a difference in my life now, on earth. It was one thing to know that at the end of this hell-on-earth I’d get to spend eternity with God, but what was really urgent to me was having a God who cared enough and was effective enough to make my life worth living.

I wondered if Jesus was enough to make a difference in my life.