Coming Up Lame

No one goes through the Christian life without, at times, coming up "lame." There are weights that we carry that we have a difficult time discarding because they seem good to us. They are not "sin," but things, talents, and ideas that we take pride in and lean on instead of the power of God that is in us. They are weaknesses disguised as strengths. Our self-image and our self-esteem try to persuade us that they are indispensable although God makes it clear to us that they are in the way of His place as the preeminent One in our lives and walk. So we struggle along, spiritually lame, refusing to let go.
There are, in addition, sins that we constantly struggle with. Try as we might, we just can't seem to defeat them. We are unwilling to admit that they have enslaved us and keep telling ourselves that we can throw the shackles off. Instead of admitting our bondage and crying out to the Spirit to free us, we limp along in the frustration and guilt of our continual failure.
At other times we are injured by others. Those what we love hurt us in a multitude of ways, some accidental, some premeditated, some a product of thoughtlessness, some a product of anger and resentment. We, no doubt, have done the same to them. Nevertheless, the pain is real, the "limp," though sometimes cleverly disguised, a burden to our souls. We cling to self-defense instead of embracing forgiveness and reconciliation. We refuse to put the needs of others above our own, an act of selfishness and idolatry. The only problem that matters is our own. Sooner or later, the spiritual lameness becomes evident to all, especially those closest to us. Often, tragically, our limp becomes contagious.
But the greatest danger to the health of the church, God's body, is the attitude we develop toward those we notice who are limping along spiritually. We, too often, think that their spiritual well-being has nothing to do with us and our walk, when, in reality, it has everything to do with our spiritual well-being and walk with God. The body is not a host of unrelated parts but a whole, interconnected, mutually dependent entity. No single part of the body can act independently of the rest of the body. We cannot view them as hopeless spiritually, beyond God's mercy and grace, or we ourselves will be hopeless and beyond God's mercy and grace. We cannot judge them as useless or we judge ourselves useless to the cause of Christ. We cannot view ourselves as somehow superior to them spiritually for when we look at them we are looking at a part of ourselves. We must, as members of the body, come alongside the "lame" and be the strength they need to continue on in their struggle toward Christ-likeness. Whether their lameness is caused by a weight they refuse to surrender, a sin that so easily besets them, or the carelessness, malice, or betrayal of another, we must, as God empowers us, let them lean on us, let them be encouraged by us that they are not hopeless, helpless, or useless, but a vital part of the body, as deeply loved by God the Father as He loves His Son, our Savior. There is no more vital role to play in the cause of Christ than to be a shoulder to lean on for a limping Christian.
And you will never be in a body of believers, no matter the size, where you will not find the lame. In fact, I doubt if you will find a body of believers anywhere in which everyone in the group is not a little gimpy somewhere. We must all lean on each others' shoulders as we press on to maturity in Christ. A body of believers that is not "bursting at the seams" with encouragement is a desperately lame body of believers. Be a shoulder, be an encourager, make encouragement contagious among the people of God.