![\"chair-1850612_1920\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2017\/06\/chair-1850612_1920-300x200.jpg\")
You are going through a difficult time. Someone in the church is trying to encourage you and uses cliches, \u201cI believe everything happens for a reason?\u201d Or how about, \u201cDon\u2019t worry. God\u2019s in charge?\u201d Or have you ever said, \u201cI will pray for you,\u201d but then you don\u2019t?<\/p>\n
We all hear, and have used clich\u00e9s when we want to help or comfort someone. Our intentions might be good, but are clich\u00e9s meaningful or helpful? Does a clich\u00e9 feel good to the person receiving it? Are there better things to say or do when people are in crises or need of encouragement?<\/p>\n
Often, we use clich\u00e9s because we don\u2019t know what else to say. We want to offer comfort or help, but we aren\u2019t certain as to how to do that, or we feel awkward about what to say. Our intentions are good. We want to be comforting and helpful. The problem is that a clich\u00e9 can be a turn off to someone who is hurting, especially if it is based on fiction or poor theology. For example, the clich\u00e9, \u201cGod helps those who help themselves,\u201d is nowhere in the Bible. If God only helps the self-helpers, we are all in trouble!<\/p>\n
When I was going through infertility, people in my church would say things like, \u201cGod has a good plan for your life. It may not include children.\u201d Honestly, that kind of \u201chelp\u201d just upset me more and didn\u2019t help with the intense emotions I felt. \u00a0Yes, I knew God had a plan for my life\u2026but during that season of dealing with the inability to conceive, I didn\u2019t want to hear that clich\u00e9.<\/p>\n
So what can we do and say that is helpful? Here are a few suggestions when someone need encouragement:<\/p>\n
Avoid the clich\u00e9s and offer your presence and actually pray with or for the person. Rarely, do people refuse prayer!<\/p>\n
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You are going through a difficult time. Someone in the church is trying to encourage you and uses cliches, \u201cI believe everything happens for a reason?\u201d Or how about, \u201cDon\u2019t worry. God\u2019s in charge?\u201d Or have you ever said, \u201cI will pray for you,\u201d but then you don\u2019t? We all hear, and have used clich\u00e9s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[917],"tags":[3808,3807,3809,3810],"class_list":["post-9293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-friend-relationships","tag-christian-cliches","tag-cliches","tag-comforting-others","tag-words-of-encouragement"],"yoast_head":"\n