"Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:68, NIV)
The problem with the Christianity of my childhood was that there was an answer for every question. Or, more correctly, it seemed as though only questions that could be answered were allowed to be asked. As a result, it was a belief system which was very tidy, but often very shallow.
Sooner or later, we run across the questions that cannot be answered. They often begin with "why" such as "Why did God allow . . .?"
It is when I run into the brick wall of unanswerable questions that I return to this verse and find that I am comforted. I am comforted that while I cannot answer all the hard questions, I find that Jesus Christ and the belief system that bears his name offer better answers than any other belief.
Atheism has nothing to offer other than an excuse to party while you're still able. Other religions offer a set of tasks that I will not be able to accomplish which will provide me with an uncertain future. Governments and human leaders are rife with failure and compromise, no help will come from that quarter.
Like the disciples, I have no where else to go but to Jesus. Specifically, I can go to the Cross to find help in dealing with these problems. At the Cross, I find a fellow sufferer, one who experienced the pain of fallen humanity. There I find one who paid the price for my failure and gives me a new day to do better. There I find one who tells me that no matter what happens, I will not be alone, he will be with me.
There is only one option, but it is a really, really good one.
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