Trite Christian Comfort

I was once accused of victim blaming and being a lousy Christian before being blocked on Facebook. Now some of you who know me might be surprised (or not – don’t raise your hands!). I thought she knew me better too. My sin? Suggesting she showed some grace for the seemingly trite Christian comfort she received from some other Christian friends.

She was on Facebook accusing Christians who offered scripture as comfort in her difficult situation as being intentionally vindictive and hurtful. I was taken aback. It may have been the wrong thing to say at the wrong time, but intentional? Maybe, just maybe, it was a well-intentioned, but feeble attempt to be loving. Did it come with a tender hug? Was it shared with tears for your suffering? Just because it wasn’t what you wanted to hear doesn’t mean that the motivation and intention was devious. At least they didn’t do what some people do who don’t know what to say – disappear in your time of need.

That got me the boot. And I won’t lie. It stung a little. But hurt people hurt people so I don’t hold it against her.

Let’s be real. We’ve all experienced this before – especially in Christendom: the seemingly trite, quoted scripture verse to magically wipe the pain away. If you’ve been single for any length of time you feel me. *High five* At first it’s great! We hang on to it. We memorize it. We post it, journal about it, confess it. We read books about it. Hear sermons about it. Sing songs of it. And we wait. And wait. And wait. And finally we’re SICK of hearing that Same. Stinkin’. Scripture. for our hurting hearts. We can barely force a smile or “thank you” the next time some sweet, little prayer warrior quotes it and tells us to “hold on”.

I get it. I’ve been there.

But you know what? One day the light bulb goes on. I realized that the Word of God is the only real comfort in this world. There are no friends, no hugs, no money, no “positive thoughts” that quite meets the need of our broken hearts more than the Word of God.

Perhaps our disgust or turn off from hearing scripture used as a tool for comfort is because our carnal person – our flesh – is looking for a natural solution and/or is impatient. Maybe, just maybe, it seems trite or a lame consolation because we want ACTION over words. Answers instead of placation. A light at the end of the tunnel instead of just the promise of one.

Jesus said “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Luke 21:33). As much as we rebel against it, turn our noses up to it and roll our eyes at it, the Word of God is all we got to be able to live in this world with any semblance of sanity or any lasting joy or peace.

I can’t tell you the amount of times I had the feeling of “waking up”. Reality got more real. The fog cleared. The life I was living seemed to melt away. And the only reality was one where God was in control. I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t without hope. My steps were ordered by God. His Words were alive. They were sustaining. They were coursing through my body.

Listen, there is nothing trite about God’s Word. Yes, it sometimes comes across as an easy answer to a difficult problem. And the world will mock it as a “crutch”. Yes, sometimes a simple hug in silence or a grasped hand and tears is all that is necessary, but let’s not discount the Word of God for those responses. It is not lightweight. It is heavy. It is powerful. And it WILL NOT return without a harvest to the One that spoke it into existence (Isaiah 55:11).

If it doesn’t seem to quench the pain in your heart that’s ok. Take a deep breath and give it time. Sometimes it takes some time to work – but it is working.