Sick of Cliche

I'm not sure why I'm just noticing it all of a sudden. I'm not sure why it's standing out to me now. And I'm not sure why it's bothering me so much.

But I've got to talk about it.

I'm writing to get this out of my brain. To put my thoughts into words and words onto a screen. If I don't, it will just keep nagging at me and I won't be able to stand it.

Truth is, I'm so irritated with all these cliche phrases that Christians use all the time. Maybe you've noticed it too. With the exception of a few new words that have become popular, especially in the teenage generation, Christians are saying the exact same thing that they've always said.

Aren't Christians (myself included) real people?

Why do they act like robots? Do they have these phrases, these words they automatically resort to, programmed into their minds so that they come to the surface whenever a certain situation comes up?

Okay, I'll give you an example to try and illustrate what I'm talking about. Let's say that I'm just feeling really down and out and I finally get up the nerve to talk to someone about how I'm feeling. So I go to my Christian friend, we'll call her....Sarah. So I go talk to Sarah about how I just feel really down and I can't seem to get past it. What do you think she says? Probably something along the lines of, "Aww, that really stinks. I'm so sorry. I'll pray for you." Now don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying it's bad to pray for people. It's always nice to have someone praying for you. That's not my point.

Here's another example: This time let's say that I've been struggling with something, and I'm really not proud of it, I don't really want to talk about it, but I feel like I need some help. So let's say I go to my friend, we'll call him....John. So I say something like, "You know, John, I've really been struggling with (you name it) and I don't know what to do about it." John tries to put on this Christian sympathetic look and says, "Well, have you tried praying about it? Maybe you need to read your Bible more. Ask God to help you with (whatever). He's there for you and He loves you and has a great plan for your life. He'll never leave you...blah blah blah."

And then of course there's the thing Christians do on Facebook. They'll post this picture with some Christian or Biblical statement, maybe a verse, or possibly a quote from a well known pastor or evangelist or whoever. As a comment at the top they'll just say, "Amen?" And I don't know why it is, but I find that incredibly annoying.

My point in saying all this is that, if I go to a person feeling like I need to talk about something that's been going on or maybe something I've been dealing with in my life, I want to talk to an actual person. A human being! I want to speak to a real human heart. I don't want cliche phrases spoken at me, or words preached at me just because that's what we're "supposed" to say to each other when we're going through something difficult or uncomfortable or that just plain sucks. I don't need someone to have all the answers for me. I don't need someone to "fix" me. I don't need to be told that I should pray more or seek God for whatever reasons a person might give me. I know all those things already. Most people who know anything about God already know those things too.

So what is it I think should be done? I think we as Christians need to stop titling or labeling ourselves "Christian" and all that comes to mind when most people here that word. We need to stop thinking about how a "Christian" is supposed to act and just focus on living by the example Jesus gave us. Do you know of anywhere in the Bible where Jesus told someone who was hurting or feeling down or depressed that they should just pray about it and God would help them get through it and be happy? No. No he didn't. And do you know why? Well, I can't be positive, but it probably had something to do with the fact that that isn't helpful! It doesn't make things better for the person struggling. I imagine it just makes them more frustrated.

Let's be humans. Let's be real people. Flawed, ransomed, saved by grace people. Forget the cliche Christianity we've all gotten so used to. Forget the "normal" Christian behavior we've adopted and all those words and phrases that come to mind. Really hear someone when they share their heart with you. Just listen. Be there for them. Offer a hug, a smile. Sometimes those things speak the loudest and are the most comforting things you can offer a hurting heart. Show them LOVE and EAT WITH THEM!