I’m Tryin’, Man
Dan Kunz
My friend, Thomas, is a friend of Jesus, too. He is 53 years old. He never knew his parents. He was raised by a Christian grandmother. He spent more time in group homes than he can remember. He was in the military. He was a heroin addict. He is HIV positive because of his former drug use. He spent twelve years in prison. He lives in a fourteen-year-old mini-van. He is more ADHD than any person I have ever met. He does not have a regular job. He receives government benefits because of his HIV (barely enough to live on). When faced with two choices, he will pick the wrong one nine out of ten times. But, Thomas is a friend of Jesus.
One of our pastors befriended Thomas about ten years ago and he has not missed many worship services ever since. Our congregation has a Sunday night, non-traditional service every week, and he is there, fidgeting in his seat and looking at his cell phone, but listening. Because I sometimes hire him to do odd jobs (he always runs out of money before he runs out of month), I’ve been around him long enough to learn that Thomas has the exact same problem that many of us have.
Thomas believes that when bad things happen to him, which is incredibly often, he almost always immediately thinks that God is angry with him, does not like him, or has abandoned him. His mantra is, “I’m tryin’, man!” In other words, he is trying to live a God-pleasing life, but mistakenly believes God will give him rewards because he is living a God-pleasing life. I remind him of two things we all need to hear. As Christians, when God places challenges in our lives, it is his way of refining us, making us better, more Christ-like people. Secondly, God deals with us based on his grace, not because of our worthiness, thank goodness!
It seems almost silly to constantly remind Christians of God’s grace, but the devil is an expert at constantly trying to confuse our challenges or blessings with our efforts. Some organized religions have the same confusion. Our friends at Truth In Love Ministry received the following comment from a Mormon recently: "I don't believe that Christ would give us a command that we couldn't achieve, rather I feel that he wants us to strive to do our best until we reach that perfection." It is totally rational to think that God will accept us if we “try our best”, but it is not factual. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
We all face challenges at various times in our lives. Because of recent national events or illness, maybe you are going through some of those challenges right now. It would be tempting to think if you just tried a little harder, did things a little differently, or prayed a little more sincerely, God would certainly be impressed and turn things around. Instead, give God a little more credit for who he is, how much he loves you, and what he continues to do for you. That is grace - amazing grace.
If, like Thomas, you’re “tryin’, man”, make sure you are because you love the Lord and want to do his will, not because you are “earning rewards points”!