"Prone to wander"

I want to begin today by stating that this year is the 80th anniversary of the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz.  There are so many memorable quotes, characters, and moments that I could highlight, but let me give this one. When Dorothy was about to conclude her adventure in Oz and return home, she said her tearful goodbyes to her friends.  When she came to the Tin Man – who initially didn’t have a heart – he remarked, “Now I know I have a heart, because it’s breaking.”

Last month, I heard the news that author and speaker, Joshua Harris has essentially disavowed his Christian faith.  Let me quote his words, and give the accompanied link:

“I have undergone a massive shift in my faith in Jesus.  The popular phrase for this is ‘deconstruction,’ the biblical phrase is ‘falling away.’  By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”  He went on to say: “I have lived in repentance the past few years – repenting of my self-righteousness, my fear-based approach to life, [and] the teaching of my books.”

(https://www.christiantoday.com/article/joshua-harris-now-says-he-is-no-longer-a-christian/132922.htm)

This made me think of the Tin Man’s statement because this development broke my heart.  I’ve heard Joshua speak.  I have read his books.  Certainly not everyone agreed with his first work I Kissed Dating Goodbye, but it was clear that he had a strong voice for Christ and a desire to please God.  To see where he is now, throwing in the spiritual towel and turning his back on God, fills me with tremendous sadness.  

I thought I would share what I would say to Joshua if I had to opportunity to speak to him.  As I do this, maybe it will help you too.  I would begin by acknowledging that any honest Christian will admit that it is easy to drift away from God, if you aren’t careful.  The old hymn puts it this way: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.  Prone to leave the God I love.”  If you aren’t vigilant and on guard, it snowballs, and then one day it dawns on you just how far you’ve drifted.

The question is: what do you do at that point?  After a lifetime of espousing the truths of Christianity, you declare, “I’m no longer a Christian.”  Or maybe you are reading this and you’ve suffered a tragedy you never thought possible. A loved one has committed suicide.  You lost a family member in a car accident.  Perhaps you haven't gone as far as Joshua Harris and disavowed your Christianity (although maybe you have).  Maybe you are just holding on by a thread, spiritually speaking.

First of all, I want you to hear my heart on this.  I know very well that life is tough and can be full of heart-breaking pain.  The Bible says, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1).  I would never minimize or deny the reality of your pain.  Having said this, I want to submit the words of Rebecca St. James from decades ago.  I think they are just as relevant as the day she said them.  In a TV special that was presented back in the late 90’s she conveyed the message that I would say not only to Joshua Harris, but also to you in your time of struggle and need.  She said this:

“God is the only one that’s not going to let you down.  He is the only one that’s going to be that strong foundation that we need…To the person who is hard, to the person who has given up and said, ‘Yeah, Christianity, whatever.  I’ve seen those televangelists.  I’ve seen them fall; I’ve seen them have affairs.’  [To] the person that is like that I would say: trust again; try again; hope again.  He will not let you down.  He is there.  Soften your heart towards God.”

Kevin