The familiar refrain of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme goes like this:

As far as you are concerned, do any of these sound familiar?

·     I’ve made a real mess of things lately

·     I’ve backed myself into a corner

·     I don’t see any way out of this

If yes, similar to the disciple Thomas who asked in his darkest moment of doubt and despair, “Lord to whom shall we go?” the Gospel of Christ is made for such a time as this. You have no choice but to allow your heart to be uplifted. Francis de Sales eloquently reminds us, “Now the greater our knowledge of our own misery, the more profound will be our confidence in the goodness and mercy of God, for mercy and misery are so closely connected that the one cannot be exercised without the other.”

I’ll say it 1,000 times—Jesus is fond of our desperation. If we could work our way out of the messes we’ve created, what need is the Cross of Christ? Galatians 2:21 teaches, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

If you can succeed by your own strength, power, and your own might, Jesus of Nazareth will be of no profit to you. If, on the other hand, you’ve come to realize there’s no other recourse but to sprint towards Him, well, then welcome to the Christian religion.  

Our Lord never said come to me all who are self-sufficient, but rather, “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.” Is. 45:22 For a case in point, have you ever stopped to notice the point at which Jesus rescued the disciples stuck in the storm at sea? Only after they rowed unsuccessfully for an incredible nine hours, that’s when. Shortly after this time, Peter exclaimed, “Lord save me!”