The Daily – Christian Clichés
We have all heard them, you know the cliché phrases that Christians like to say when they are too busy to stop and care, the topic is just too hard, or your issue is beyond their understanding. Today, however, I am sick of them. I am tired of being in a real struggle only to hear; “keep the faith, I’ll pray for you, quote the Word, pray, just give it to God, Trust in the Lord, God loves you, God has a plan, yada yada yada.”
Do not get me wrong, sure, they are all true and for the most part there is nothing “wrong” with saying them to people. However, I really believe that we have lost something along the way in Christiandom. If you look at the life of Jesus and how He dealt with each situation, it was always unique. He did not have the same old Word for every sermon. He had something fresh and relevant for whatever person or group He was speaking to.
Sadly, today, we really don’t care. Let’s be honest here. We just don’t care. Sure, we have sympathy, empathy and feel compassion at times. However, we really do not want to get too close to other peoples junk. Maybe we think we will “catch” something. Who knows?
Do we even pay attention to this passage of Scripture?
Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].
For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself. – Galatians 6:2-3 (Amplified)
Instead of… [keep reading]
Copyright © Lara Velez, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved
AMEN SISTER!
I cried as I read this, because it is so lacking in our “churches” in the united states. I need sisters to walk along side me, to support me, and doing it alone is not just hard, it’s impossible. Being a mom and wife and struggling to follow the Lord and support the body of Christ is exhausting and we need to support each other. I cried not just because of my pesky prego hormones, but because I am longing so deeply for women like this in my life who will walk with me and encourage me as I struggle and grow and learn and keep loving. I need people who will remind me it is not hopeless and that it’s worth fighting it out for the body and for our Lord. Thank you for writing this.
Great article, Lara! Relationships are what make us who we are. Words are just that … words. You can’t have a “relationship” based on a hello here and there. Caring about people means being *involved* with them on a personal level, and so many people have forgotten that.
Some of the best times I have spent with my friends was doing grocery shopping at 2:00 in the morning, simply because it was the only time we could find to have an hour alone and really TALK. The kids were in bed and our husbands were there to keep an ear out for them. LOL!
Does anyone other than me miss the days when people used to find ANY excuse to get together and spend time with one another?
I couldn’t agree more with this, especially in this time of my family’s life. My husband was fired 4 months ago as the youth pastor of our church. The reason given, God has bigger plans for us. 4 months later he’s still searching for a job. Since March, we’ve had numerous people tell us they are praying for us, or that God really does have bigger plans, or that “they’ve been there” & “we’ll see the valley when we get to the other side” all these things are nice to hear for a while but then what? We’ve lost our church home, friends, a job and basically our support system. Only a few people have actually offered to listen and then pray WITH us and it meant more to us than anything people have said.
Thanks for this! I needed it today!
Thank you for taking the courage to speak the truth. God had blessed me with the most awesome experience of running a child care for 16 years. Though it was messy, exhausting, and just hard work, it was the most wonderful time of my life. I loved waking up each morning anticipating what blessings and wonders I may get to see today.
Now our family is experiencing a time of great trial and change. I had never appreciated how an illness or financial life change can isolate you from those you once enjoyed companionship and friendship with. Things have changed not because they don’t care; rather, I think they don’t know what to do with the changes and the emotions which follow. Our grief and life changes take us on a roller coaster of emotions some days. Little things seem to release feelings which are sometimes hard to control. Being quiet and sitting in the back is sometimes our only protection against falling apart. I really don’t want to hear the latest scripture, it will get better, this will pass, or I am so sorry. To be honest, the pain is so great I really don’t feel very “spiritual” at the moment. It is taking everything I have to be faithful in action to be present in order to get past the current valley. It is true the emotions will calm and peace will come again in a few hours, days or weeks. However, at the moment, all I really need is to be quiet and sit with me.