Be Real

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
(Matthew 6:7 NKJV)

This is one of my pet peeves. Recently, I received yet another email from a fellow Christian filled to the brim with super-spiritual phrases. I am sure the person’s heart was perfectly genuine, but can we please stop with the clichés and just be real? 

Instead of saying “I’m lifting you in prayer to the Lord,” can we not just say, “I am praying for you?” And almost every time someone says grace, out comes the worn-out phrase “bless this food to our bodies.” Are we really thanking Him for the food or are we just parroting a phrase without thinking about the meaning?

You can imagine how delighted I was when I found out Christian pastor and author Charles Swindoll agreed with me and had the same peeve/plea. His list of clichés included “a time of food, fun, and fellowship,” “just trust the Lord,” and “bless the gift and the giver” among others.

We represent a God who created a universe so enormous it has to be measured in light years. He created the tallest mountains and the deepest oceans. He filled those oceans with creatures like the blue whale, whose average size varies between 80 and 100 feet long and can weigh in at 200 tons. Its heart is the size of the average car. The Lord’s creativity is immense, and the best we can come up with are hackneyed, unimaginative, over-used, and worn out phrases?

Jesus told the Pharisees they were guilty of using meaningless repetition (Matthew 6:7). Before we nod our heads and agree with Him, we should probably stop and consider ourselves. Are we not doing the same thing?

Worse of the worst is throwing “pat” doctrinal advice to someone who is suffering and then walking on, feeling we have done our Christian duty. Telling someone “the joy of the Lord is your strength” is not helpful when they are in pain and struggling to keep going. What they need during this time is for someone to sit quietly by their side and simply listen.

Can’t we just be real? The world needs authentic Christians.