Erik Nagaoka: What Makes Christianity Unique?

One of the things that makes Christianity so unique is that we know God. We have a relationship with our God in a way that just, you don't find anywhere else. He's our God. He came down through Jesus Christ, His son, and lived with us for a small time in history. But it was a connection that is so meaningful. When you look at what Jesus did, becoming an infant, being totally helpless, totally dependent on his parents, food and shelter and clothing, diapers. To all the parents out there, and those who have infants and toddlers, you can relate to that because you know just how helpless and needy your kids are and how much you love them.

I think about teenagers. When Jesus was a teenager, he undoubtedly went through similar struggles that teenagers go through now. Whether it's body or emotions or fitting in, or just relationship with others in his parents. So to all the teenagers out there, Jesus gets it. He knows what it's like to go through that. And I know when I was growing up as a teenager, that was super comforting.

 And then I think where I'm at in my life now, sort of as an adult, and Jesus was an adult too. He had to look for work. He had to learn a trade. He had to provide for himself. He had to establish himself in society. And so where I'm at currently today, those are things that we're going through, my wife and I, and how just encouraging is it that we can look to Jesus and we're praying to God who did all these things just like us. So I find that super encouraging and praise be to God that we have a personal relationship with God who knows us and what we're going through.