Contributor: Contributor: Ryan Moffat, BS in Bible and Theology from Multnomah University. Pastor of Vast Church.
“Religion is a crutch,” screamed Frank at me as he rushed out of my office.
I sat there silent, stunned and honestly quite humored.
Hitting Rock Bottom
You see Frank’s life was in shambles; relationally broken, outwardly successful (in business and work) yet behind the veneer of riches and power Frank’s life had far more obvious crutches; alcohol abuse, pornography abuse and an unhealthy addiction/relationship with food to name a few.
Frank had masked his anxiety, stress, and difficult demands at work by over-compensating as “the Good Christian man” caricature. It had worked well for over a decade….he had everybody fooled; his wife, his pastor, his friends, his children, even part of himself. That’s when things begin to derail.
As one of my friends/mentors Randy Alcorn says, “When the outward persona begins to trump the inward character then danger/burnout is imminent”. That’s exactly the course that Frank was on and he didn’t even know it. By the time we were able to have a “pastoral conversation” it was too late.
What is The Real Crutch?
It was the obligatory pastoral meeting informing me and the Church that God was a crutch, it’s all a bunch of nonsense and anyone who would believe the Bible and the doctrines of the historical Church was archaic and basically obsolete.
I would argue that all people choose something, someone to be a “crutch” in their life. Money, power, long-weekend, alcohol, sex (the list could go a long time) are all different forms of “crutches” that people use to comfort, pad, and take the edge off our rather dull and painful lives.
The question isn’t “do you have a crutch?” rather it should be asked, “What is your crutch?” In Scripture we are invited to relate to God in a personal, familial and even fatherly way.
God isn’t so much a crutch as He is a lover, a friend and a companion.
Sharing With God
God actually cares about us so much that He invites you to share your thoughts, feelings, emotions and difficulties with Him. 1 Peter 5:5 is an invitation that everyone should at least consider especially those who are walking through the bondage and power of an addiction;
“Give all your worries to God because He cares for you”
Our part in the relationship is to dump…dump our pain, our worries, our mistakes, our addictions and our brokenness. God is the one who does the heavy lifting…He shoulders the weight and He does it because HE CARES FOR YOU!
This isn’t an impersonal force in the sky that can’t be known. This is a God who gives of forgiveness, second chances, grace and mercy and He gives them freely because He cares. Don’t be like Frank and fool yourself that you’re “self-sufficient” and strong enough to beat addiction on your own. Reach out to God, He’s reaching out to you, because HE CARES!
Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!
What crutch do you rely in your life? How has this changed as you have moved from addiction into addiction recovery?
About the author:
Ryan received his BS in Bible and Theology and a minor in counseling from Multnomah University. He has pastored students, families and is passionate about Christ-centered recovery and healing. He’s been married to his beautiful wife Michelle for 13 years and they enjoy raising four crazy, unique and special kids together.
Ryan is the teaching pastor at Vast Church in Sisters, OR and is currently working on his Masters in Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, OR
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of addiction. These are not necessarily the views of Addiction Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
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Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on May 15th, 2015
Published on AddictionHope.com