The "Can I Try Your Crutches" Church

I've really been doing a lot of thinking on transparency in the Church these days. I thought of this analogy and you can tell me what you think about it.

Remember back in school when someone would hop in on crutches because they broke their leg or sprained an ankle? There were always students flocking to that person to find out what happened. They wanted the "inside scoop". Some of those gathered seemed to always ask "can I try your crutches?" and then they would have their fun playing around with those sticks that helped their friend with the broken foot walk. After a while the novelty of using those crutches goes away, and so do the "friends".

To some kids, all that extra attention at the onset of the injury probably felt good. Suddenly they were noticed by other people and made to feel special.

As we grow up, we learn quickly and at times painfully, that those who "want to try our crutches", don't really care about us...they just want in on the drama. Once the "drama" ceases, so does the attention and the "caring". In kids, physical injuries usually heal in a short amount of time and will then be forgotton...as adults, the emotional and spiritual injuries we endure, don't go away quickly at all.

As adults in churches, we do the same as the kids wanting to "try the crutches". We flock to the person newly divorced and hurting, but as time goes by and the person still hurts, we lose interest and move on to something more exciting. It's too depressing to be around a hurting person for long periods of time anyway. We want to "try the crutches", but we don't want to "be the crutch". I think sometimes God asks us to "be the crutch", but we don't have the endurance.

When someone is brave enough to be transparent, and confesses a sin, many will flock to that person out of care and concern. There is immediate attention brought to that situation, but what happens after the drama dies down? What happens when the "fun" of trying the crutches is over?

Are we as a Body, ready to invest in the lives of each other? Are we ready to "be the crutch"? Carrying a burden of a sister or brother in Christ doesn't just mean you are going to pray for them. It should mean you will invest in them. Jesus was the ultimate investment in us, He is the crutch!