Cliches - a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought.
When God closes a door, he opens a window
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it
God will not give you more than you can handle
We've heard them, we've said them, but why?
Is it because we just don't know the answer?
I think a student would rather hear us say, "We don't know" that than anything else.
Is it because we don't have or make the time to understand what a person is really going through?
Time is an act of love and more valuable than gold to the person going through a hard time.
Do we lack the spiritual depth to address a deeper need?
It's possible. We may feel out of our depth so we say something we heard along the way but how much did it help us when we heard it?
Do we lack empathy?
I get it, we have our own problems and we might think, "Let them figure it out for themselves." but is that the most help we can give?
It's easy to dismiss a student's (or anyone else's) need because we're physically, emotionally or spiritually drained but a pithy statement doesn't help the person in need and it cheats us from becoming more Christ-like.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve leaned on platitudes when I didn’t know what else to say. I’ve spoken clichés because they were easier than wrestling with someone else’s pain or admitting I didn’t have an answer. So please don’t read this as me pointing fingers—this is me looking in the mirror.
The good news is that God doesn’t call us to have the perfect words; He calls us to be present, to love, and to walk with people as they seek Him. If we can trade our clichés for compassion, and our quick sayings for real presence, we’ll discover that authenticity speaks louder than any polished phrase ever could.
And that, I believe, is good news for us and for the students we serve.
Have a great week.
Paul
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