Christians, Stop The Band-Aid Answers

Let’s be blunt and honest. 

God’s timing is not our timing, and I don’t like it when people tell me to pray and God will basically give me what I want because it is not about what I want.

It’s about His will and how He plans to guide me. How He wants me to grow through what I’m experiencing. To me, opening up about something I’m struggling with, and then immediately being waved away with a simple “pray about it,” feels like a band-aid answer.

I know I’m not alone in these feelings. I’m not writing this post out of complaint (in fact, this was a post originally in the draft section for a few months so there is no emotional attachment as I write this) I’m also not purposely trying to hinder anyone to reach out to others with guidance and encouragement to give things over to Christ and pray. We should encourage these things 🙂

But I’m not here to coddle you either. 

Sometimes we feel like we don’t have the right answers, and we don’t know what to do. So maybe for us, this is a simple and easy response.  

When I asked Christ to help me pick a post to work on, I see why when my eyes laid on this title, He was like, “This one.” 

This isn’t meant to be long or an intense lecture. It’s a reminder that Christ always calls us to be more than what our flesh may desire, especially when it comes to others, and how we are to serve. 

My dear Church body, Christ taught us what to do.

(NIV) Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”

Every time someone had a burden He carried it with them. We are told to be an example of Christ. We must lift up our brothers and sisters. We must be willing to dig deeper into the pain of others. We must be willing to care. We must be willing to set aside our time for someone else even when it is not always convenient for us. 

I think it’s easy for us to fall into the grouping of Job’s friends when we respond with simple answers and simple solutions. There must be something wrong with that person for them to go through this particular thing, surely prayer (and faith) is the answer. Prayer might be, but the motive for our reasoning is hindering, judgemental, and not what the Lord actually intends. We are accountable to this.

We slap a quick answer to a problem that is on-going. 

And I assume many of you know what it feels like to open up and have people try to be comforting but you feel no true comfort and care. 

Admittedly when I’m sensitive and vulnerable I don’t bear well with those kind of remarks, even when people are coming from good intentions. Please, listen. This post is NOT about how we need to be understanding when people try to send us well wishes of guidance and encouragement. When people fail us, Christ won’t, and we need to trust Him even when people fall short, absolutely. We need to show kindness even when we are hurting, yes. We all are human and not perfect.

But this post is warning how WE ALL (me included) need to really stop what we are doing and listen to what others are going through. We need to stop trying to pull, “I’m going to encourage someone with a small word,” and instead wrap our arm around their shoulders, or give them a cup of tea, and bear their burden with them. Encouragement is important, do not misunderstand. But sometimes we encourage others for the sole purpose of making ourselves feel good about it, and this is pleasing to our flesh. Be aware!

If people are feeling like God is silent and they can’t even get Christ out of us, what are we doing? Can we say we are Christlike, when, frankly, we aren’t? Christ did not really work around an agenda. He worked around the needs He saw, and He had compassion.

(NLT) Matthew 5:15, “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.”

When one part of the body is sick, the other parts work together to ease the burden and help the healing process.

What are we doing when we give simple responses to others and secretly hope they leave us alone with their problems?

Are we healing or adding to their burden?

Note: This is not about people who are trampling our pearls or toxicity. Simply that we like our time and we struggle to give it to others because we are preoccupied, and still want to feel good about ourselves.  

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Monthly Scripture- (NLT) 2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

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