Crutches of Life

My soul followeth hard after thee:
thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:8

It was amazing as we were cleaning out our attic in preparation for our move to Tennessee, to find so many things we had stashed away in a span of a few years. I think the only time we clean out the attics of our houses is either when we are planning to move to another house or when someone dies. With our present move, we came across two or three sets of crutches. You would have to know the Lanoue men and their problem with knees to understand how we could have accumulated them. Those crutches, both wooden and metal, had been used when there were knee cap problems, sprains, etc. thus it was a benefit to keep those crutches handy.

What are crutches for? They are meant to help one who has sustained some kind of injury to the lower extremities of the body to aid in getting from one place to another. There are some people with balance problems who often need crutches just to steady themselves, even in just standing. Crutches are vital for those with a physical need of them. However, crutches are awkward, bundlesome and next to impossible to manipulate if one needs to also carry something while using crutches. Sounds complicated and often is. Except for some crippling diseases that require permanent use of crutches, it must be remembered that crutches under normal circumstances are meant to be temporary. Crutches in themselves can cause even more debilitating conditions for those who refuse to give them up when it is time to do so.

I have come to learn from personal experience, more than in observing others, that I have often found myself using invisible crutches. At one time or another, we all have invisible crutches. I can understand that happening with people who are not Christians. Christians, however, can also find themselves leaning on things/people to help with balance in their lives and that provides a sense of security. Some crutches folks learn to lean on may involve money, jobs, friends, spouses, exercise/diet programs, material possessions, relatives, and yes, even pets, and the list could go on. It can happen in such a slow but steady way, that we may find ourselves on invisible crutches without noticing it. Bottom line is that in this area, God is the one we are to lean on for our security and well being.

Real crutches can break or slip causing one to fall. The invisible crutches we come up with in this life of ours are not very reliable either. People will let us down, material things are passing, money can be fleeting and health issues can recur. There is nothing in this life that is permanent and totally reliable, except Jesus.

Back in 1972, Bill Withers wrote a song that is catchy, and one of those we could go around humming all day. The words of the chorus are as follows:

“Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on.
For, it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on.”

This could be a theme song for those who want to sign up to be a crutch in the lives of others. Many of us have the “crutch nature,” that of always wanting to help someone keep their balance in life. Being a help to others is wonderful, but not to the point of encouraging others to depend on us so heavily that it isn't healthy. In today's verbage, we hear the word “enabler.” That's what crutches are...enablers. They enable us to function and hopefully heal. When we allow ourselves to be crutches/enablers in the lives of others long term, we rob those people of dependence on the Lord thus draining them of sound spiritual health.

There is a chorus to another song that is even more familiar to us. It speaks of the healthiest kind of leaning. The words to the song were written in the mid 1800's by Philip P. Bliss and it says:

Leaning....leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning...leaning
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

YES...this is the answer when we tend to walk with the invisible crutches of people and things...and that is leaning on Jesus and Jesus alone. No one, no thing can support us or hold us up like Jesus when we're at our weakest. Scripture admonishes us to lean totally on Him. Everything in our lives must be seen through Jesus and His Word. Leaning on Jesus is to be a continual learning and leaning experience. Only He has the wisdom and power to keep us going in every way. God's Word assures us that He is to be the only person in our lives that we can completely trust with His reliable support. We read:

For I the Lord thy God will hold thy
right hand, saying unto thee,
Fear not, I will help thee.
Isaiah 41:13

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be of help to people, especially if they are going through a tough time. That's a part of our ministry as Christians. If we aren't careful, we can encourage people to become very dependent on us instead of on the Lord. This doesn't mean we walk totally away from someone we have helped. We do want to rejoice with them when we see that crutches are no longer needed. You and I must always be learning to find our balance and spiritual health holding Jesus' hand. We want to encourage the same thing in the lives of those we encourage.

What a wonderful day it is when we can give up our invisible crutches and throw them into the attic of our lives, hopefully to leave them there. We will have learned that God's hand is always extended to us, His hand of love and help for He is our true hope and stability...we are such blessed people.

My Father...thank You for Your love and care for me even though I fail so often. Having You as my spiritual stability means more than I can say. Thank you for guiding me and walking with me in my every day life. I love You...in Jesus' precious name....Amen