I can't remember the names of all seven of Snow White's dwarfs. I don't feel bad about that. But I do remember one. Grumpy. I've heard that the Grumpy shirt is one of Disney's big sellers.
I might know why. Grumpy's the mood of a whole lot of Americans these days.
Take the one-year-to-go state of the Presidential race. It doesn't matter if a politician is a Democrat or a Republican - most people are not very excited about anybody. We've got one group who wants us to stop spending money. Then there are some who want people to stop making money. Some don't like what the President's doing. Some don't like what Congress is doing. Many are not all that impressed with any candidate so far.
If there was a "none of the above" choice on the ballot, he might just win.
We're just hurtin' for a leader who won't let us down. Who can actually do something about the baffling tangle of problems we have. And it's not just politicians who've let us down. Sometimes parents fail us...a church or a pastor fails us...a leader we've looked to disappoints or betrays us.
I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Our leaders are a lot like us. And I know I sure haven't been everything people needed me to be. I'm sure I've disappointed folks along the way.
As much as human leaders may have let us down, it doesn't change the fact that our hearts are hungry for someone to look to. Someone who can take us where we haven't been able to go ourselves. Who totally lives what he says...who not only promises hope but delivers it...who can fix the unfixable...who we can follow with the confidence that they care more about us than themselves.
That's Jesus. And only Jesus. As the Bible says, "Anyone who believes in Him will never be disappointed" (Romans 10:11). I sure haven't been. This Man who had the power to walk out of His grave has had more than enough power to change what I couldn't. People I couldn't change, problems I couldn't fix, dark parts of me I couldn't control. He's led me on roads that didn't always make sense on the first mile, but always ended up putting me in a better place.
And there's no doubt about Him caring more about me more than about Himself. He offered Himself to be nailed to a cross and separated from God so my sins could be erased and I could be with Him in heaven forever. And anybody who loves me enough to die for me will never do me wrong.
There really is a hole in our hearts that's starved for a loving leader for our life. A "shepherd" as Jesus said. He said, "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me." And where does following Him end up? "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish" (John 10:27-28).
A couple of years ago, I got the news that a plane just crashed in the Hudson River. I ran to a TV, thoroughly expecting to see massive carnage. Instead I saw what they called "the miracle on the Hudson." The jetliner's engines had been disabled on takeoff by a flock of birds, and it looked like a tragic crash could be the only outcome. But thankfully, their pilot that day was Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, a veteran fighter pilot, airline pilot and crash investigator. He was probably one of the few pilots who could bring that plane in safely. And he was the one at the controls.
I've been on some flights where I wish there had been a captain like that in the cockpit. But I've never been able to pick the pilot for my flight. But I have been able to pick the pilot for my life. And it's Captain Jesus. And He's the one Pilot who can bring me - and you - in safely...no matter what happens.