God Never Promised an Easy Road — Only That We Wouldn't Walk It Alone
By Michael Cunningham Sr.
There are people walking through this world today who want absolutely nothing to do with Christianity.
Some have been hurt by churches. Others have been disappointed by ministers, betrayed by people who professed to be Christians, or watched someone they loved suffer while their prayers seemed to go unanswered.
And some have simply reached the point where they say, "I've had enough. If that's what Christianity is all about, I want no part of it."
I understand why someone might feel that way.
But there's something I wish every hurting person could understand.
Jesus Christ is not responsible for the failures of those who claim to follow Him.
When People Fail Us
I've lived 82 years on this earth, and if there's one thing those years have taught me, it's that people will disappoint you.
Sometimes it's a stranger. Sometimes it's a friend. Sometimes it's someone you love. And sometimes it's a person who carries a Bible, attends church every Sunday, and speaks constantly about the love of God.
Christians are human beings. We make mistakes. We sometimes say things we shouldn't say, fail to do things we should do, and fall far short of the example Jesus set for us.
And yes, sometimes those failures cause terrible pain.
But here's the question I've learned to ask:
Why would I turn my back on Jesus because somebody else failed to live like Him?
Jesus never told us to put our faith in the perfection of mankind.
He told us to put our faith in Him.
God Never Said Life Would Be Fair
One of the greatest misunderstandings about Christianity is the idea that becoming a Christian somehow guarantees a trouble-free life.
It doesn't.
Good people suffer. Children become sick. Families lose loved ones. Marriages fall apart. Financial disasters strike. And sometimes we fall to our knees and ask God a question that seems to have no answer.
"Lord, why?"
I've asked that question myself.
And I won't insult anyone's intelligence by pretending I have an explanation for every tragedy that happens in this world.
I don't.
But I know what Jesus said.
John 16:33 (NKJV):
"In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Notice what He didn't say.
He didn't say we might have trouble.
He said we would.
But He also told us that trouble would not have the final word.
When Heaven Seems Silent
Perhaps the hardest part of faith is praying for something with every ounce of your being and not receiving the answer you desperately wanted.
Maybe you prayed for a sick parent, a dying spouse, or a child whose life was slipping away.
Maybe you begged God for a miracle.
And the miracle never came.
I would never tell someone carrying that kind of grief that they simply didn't have enough faith.
That's not compassion, and it's not the Jesus I know.
Even Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus.
Think about that for a moment.
The Son of God, who knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, stood among grieving people and wept.
John 11:35 (NKJV):
"Jesus wept."
Two words.
But what a tremendous picture of the heart of our Savior.
He is not indifferent to human suffering.
He understands our tears.
Religion Is Not the Same as a Relationship
This is something I've come to understand more clearly as I've grown older.
You can attend church every Sunday and never truly know Jesus Christ.
You can memorize Scripture, sing every hymn, serve on committees, and hold an important position in a religious organization.
But none of those things, by themselves, create a personal relationship with the Savior.
Christianity, at its heart, is not about a building, a denomination, or a religious title.
It's about Jesus Christ.
It's about a Savior who loved humanity enough to give His life on a cross.
It's about grace, forgiveness, mercy, and the opportunity to begin again.
1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV):
"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus."
Notice that Scripture doesn't tell us we must go through a preacher, a priest, or a religious institution to reach God.
Our mediator is Jesus Christ Himself.
You Don't Have to Pretend Everything Is All Right
If you're angry, hurting, confused, or disappointed, you don't have to pretend otherwise.
God already knows what's in your heart.
You can come to Him with questions.
You can come with tears.
You can come with doubts and wounds that haven't healed.
The Lord doesn't require you to clean up every broken piece of your life before approaching Him.
Matthew 11:28 (NKJV):
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Those are not the words of a Savior turning people away.
They are an invitation.
An invitation to the weary.
An invitation to the brokenhearted.
An invitation to the person who has almost given up hope.
Don't Confuse the Messenger With the Savior
If someone representing Christianity has mistreated you, I won't defend their behavior simply because they call themselves a Christian.
Wrong is wrong.
And if religious people have caused you pain, I understand why you might hesitate to trust another one.
But please consider this.
The people who mocked Jesus, falsely accused Him, and demanded His crucifixion included religious leaders of His own day.
Jesus Himself confronted hypocrisy.
He condemned those who burdened others with religious demands while neglecting mercy and justice.
He knew exactly how cruel religion without love could become.
And yet, while hanging on the cross, He prayed:
Luke 23:34 (NKJV):
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
That's the Jesus I want people to know.
Not a political organization.
Not a denomination.
Not a building with a steeple.
Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
The Promise That Has Carried Me Through 82 Years
I've lived long enough to know that life can change in a heartbeat.
One telephone call, one doctor's report, one unexpected tragedy, and the world you knew yesterday may never be the same again.
I don't claim to understand everything God allows.
I don't have all the answers.
But after eight decades, I still believe the promise found in Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV):
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
That's a promise I can hold on to when everything else seems uncertain.
Not that I will never suffer.
Not that I will never grieve.
Not that I will always understand.
But that I will never have to walk through those valleys alone.
A Word to the Person Who Has Walked Away
Perhaps you've given up on church.
Perhaps you've been disappointed by Christians.
Perhaps you've suffered a loss so devastating that you can hardly bear to hear someone speak about a loving God.
I'm not going to argue with your pain.
I'm not going to tell you that your questions are foolish.
And I'm certainly not going to pretend that I understand everything you've been through.
I only want to ask you one thing.
Before you close the door on Jesus Christ, would you consider getting to know Him apart from the people who disappointed you?
Read His words.
Look at how He treated the broken, the rejected, the grieving, and the forgotten.
See how He welcomed people whom the religious establishment wanted nothing to do with.
You might discover that the Jesus of the Bible is very different from the picture others have painted of Him.
And you might discover something else.
That even after everything you've experienced, His invitation still stands.
A Prayer for the Hurting Heart
Heavenly Father,
Today I lift up those who are hurting, those who have lost loved ones, those who have been disappointed by people they trusted, and those who have turned away from You because of wounds they cannot seem to heal.
Lord, I don't know their names, but You do.
You know their stories, their tears, their anger, and their unanswered questions.
I ask that You reveal Your love to them in a way no human argument ever could.
Help them see beyond the failures of mankind and discover the compassion of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Bring comfort where there is grief, peace where there is turmoil, and hope where despair has taken root.
And for those who have wandered far away, let them know that the door to Your mercy remains open.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
One final thought from an old man who has traveled a few miles down life's highway:
People may fail you. Circumstances may overwhelm you. The world may turn upside down.
But Jesus Christ never promised that the road would be easy.
He promised we wouldn't have to walk it alone.
— Michael Cunningham Sr.
