“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried” – G. K. Chesterton
Another classically awesome Chesterton quote.
There is a sense that Christianity is only old hat. It’s been around for so long and so many people, cultures, and even civilizations have tried it. Yet, despite such endlessly common efforts, they seemed to have still fallen short. They didn’t produce the missing link, the holy grail, or that secret to life that makes sense of this mysterious existence. Christianity is just a worn out pair of shoes, used when useful and in the end “found wanting.” That’s the common perception anyway. But it’s wrong.
The truth is that the Christian life has largely “been found difficult and left untried.” And because of that we’ve never actually experienced the fullness of the Christian ideal.
There are some who have actually overcome the difficulties, given it a fair try and did not find it wanting at all. They’re called Saints. So before we go writing off Christianity as more of the same old hat, consider looking to the Saints and trying on a hat that you perhaps have never fully tried.