“Often imitated but never duplicated.” This catch-phrase to exclusive awesomeness from the realm of sports trash talk rushed to my mind the other day as I was thinking about a recent visit to a nutritionist. In the midst of trying to figure out why I was gaining weight while training for marathons I was reminded of the beauty of Christ. The nutritionist was asking me many questions about eating and living habits. All was proceeding as expected and then I got this question:
What is your stress level 0-10 ?
I would say 0.
How do you deal with your stress?
What do you mean?
You know, where do you go when you are depressed, upset or worn out?
Oh, you are looking for functional saviors. I am a Christian, so I take it to Christ.
So, spirituality then. I see.
No…not spiritualy, JESUS. Write down JESUS there.
It was a great moment to talk further about the greatness of Christ. He is the one to whom I turn for consolation, encouragement, purpose and calibration. He hears my fears, confronts my anger, enters into my loneliness, comforts my insecurity and reminds me of the the meaning of life. What’s more, he has carried my greatest burden, reconciled my greatest problem, and earned for me an imperishable reward that is reserved in heaven for me. There is no one or nothing that can promise or deliver such things. Christ alone meets my greatest need!
There are many functional saviors on the shelves in the market of the world, and some may even seem to deliver for a season. However, it is only and truly Christ who can bear that great title as Savior!