One of Satan’s greatest tactics is to separate Christians from other believers and seek to “steal, kill, and destroy.” The church is your safe place when trials and troubles come, but often the church is the last place we feel safe and secure. Instead, when hard times come, even Christians are tempted to run from the church and to hunker down in solitude.
One of the reasons Christians run away is because they begin to think they are unique. Not special (though of course that does happen), but often people begin to think they are more broken than other people. Satan whispers, “no one will understand,” and you begin to believe it.
I’m writing today to remind you, you are not the only one.
You are not the only one struggling with depression and anxiety.
You are not the only one struggling as a parent.
You are not the only husband who struggles to provide.
You are not the only dad wrestling to keep his temper under control.
You are not the only mom who forgot to pack a lunch or waited an extra few days to take your kid to the doctor.
You are not the only Christian who struggles to read your Bible regularly.
You are one of many believers who wrestle with personal evangelism and holiness.
Satan is trying to tell you that you are different. You are broken. You are all alone. And he is only partially correct.
You are broken, but you are no different than everyone else. And you are only alone if you choose to be. The church of Jesus Christ is the gathered kingdom of God on earth, but it is not a perfect place. The church is a mission outpost seeking broken sinners to bring them to the feet of a perfect savior.
The devil knows your sin, Jesus knows your name. And Jesus has given you other believers to bear your burdens. The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus has come to give you life and that life is best lived and enjoyed in the context of a local church. In that church you will find followers of Jesus who are just like you. They are broken and struggling, but they have found a Savior who is enough.
As a pastor, I know what it is like for people to assume me and my family do not have the same struggles as everyone else. I also know how freeing it is for others to discover that their pastor has similar struggles and trials. I have seen joy flit across faces as they recognize their brokenness is the same as a pastor’s brokenness. They find hope in the very real struggles that exist in a pastor’s home.
So, I guess I should celebrate that my trials and struggles make everyone else feel a little better.
So should you.
You are unique. Uniquely made and loved. But not so different as to be unloveable or unknowable. Your problems are our problems, and when you immerse yourself in a church with real community and accountability, you will discover that many of them are the same kind of different and broken as you are. But, you will also discover a wonderful fellowship in the great healer who died to save us all from our sin.
“……life and that life is best lied and enjoyed in…….” there is a typo here, should it be “…..best lived and enjoyed…..”?
Thank you