Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Life Sucks Without Jesus
During my graduate training in psychology, I divorced much of the healing process from God, even though I was at a Christian school. In the classroom, I decided that deep mental forces determined health and wholeness far more than faith. But when I started practicing, I discovered something—life sucks without Jesus.
Don't get me wrong—I'm a good shrink, and I can help someone regardless of his or her theology. Christians suffer just as much as non-Christians, and both can heal and grow. But it's different for people who know Christ. There's a center and a foundation in the midst of suffering. There's a source of grace and forgiveness. There's hope that someone greater than you will come to your aid. And there's meaning and value that can be found even in pain. Though a relationship with God does not ensure a pain-free existence—sometimes it makes life more painful—the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune don't leave as deep a mark.
After years of systematically tearing down the evangelical convictions of my youth, I realized again that people need Jesus. I believed that as a kid, but I believe it and feel it now. It's not just a matter of heaven and hell or even right or wrong. We were created to be in relationship with God. Without that, life doesn't make as much sense. It's harder to have hope in dark times.
I really like this Relevant Magazine.
Don't get me wrong—I'm a good shrink, and I can help someone regardless of his or her theology. Christians suffer just as much as non-Christians, and both can heal and grow. But it's different for people who know Christ. There's a center and a foundation in the midst of suffering. There's a source of grace and forgiveness. There's hope that someone greater than you will come to your aid. And there's meaning and value that can be found even in pain. Though a relationship with God does not ensure a pain-free existence—sometimes it makes life more painful—the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune don't leave as deep a mark.
After years of systematically tearing down the evangelical convictions of my youth, I realized again that people need Jesus. I believed that as a kid, but I believe it and feel it now. It's not just a matter of heaven and hell or even right or wrong. We were created to be in relationship with God. Without that, life doesn't make as much sense. It's harder to have hope in dark times.
I really like this Relevant Magazine.
# posted by Wes @ 7:23 a.m. 
