Sharing is Caring

     This could be a potentially jaded post so be ready to show some grace.  The past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about my Christian walk.  I have been thinking about how many people say so many things and never follow through with them.  About how so many of us Christians throw out these buzz words in order to make ourselves feel better about who we are and where we are in our walk with the Lord.  We mask up out hurts our fears and our frustrations with “God is good!  All the Time!  God is Good!”  and the “Im fine, God is so faithful!”  I am not saying that those words aren’t true.  I 100% believe that God is so faithful and good, but my issue is that it prevents honesty.  It prevents realness and it prevents community. 
    In my life right now I have been facing challenges and frustrations that make it to where I want to just run away and become a hermit.  I don’t want to talk to people I don’t want to build relationships because all they end up doing is hurting you, using you, or leaving…or some nice combination of the three.  I obviously know that this is not true and I am viewing them through the lens of my own recent wounds.  All that being said, I feel like all I hear from the people around is the cliché sayings “God is so Good!”  and “He is preparing you for something great!” or “you’ve been on my heart..im praying for you”
    I know they are coming from a good place most of them.  I know that their hearts want to encourage and be there but I honestly don’t want to hear that.  I don’t want to hear a cliché response in order for you  not to fully invest into encouraging.  Why have we as Christians gotten so far away from carrying each others burdens and walking with one another?  Why have we decided it is easier to say we will pray for someone but don’t actually stop and pray with them right there?…and even further……follow up and ask how they are doing later?  Its lazy relationships.  Its surface caring with nothing behind it.  We are too busy and to wrapped up in our own junk that we deem others less important then ourselves.
   Look at the life of  Jesus and the way he loved and cared for people.  He invested.  He walked with and fought for and prayed with.  He encouraged and helped people understand rather then just throwing out some self help phrase and moving on.  I am so guilty of this myself , and I think now that I am in a season where I could use that relationship and encouragement I am realizing how frustrating it is not to receive it.  Imagine how non Christians feel if they receive the same care and Love we show to one another?  Why would they want to know a Jesus that lives in our hearts if we aren’t sharing and opening up our hearts? If we aren’t showing kindess and following through and walking with them.
     So I guess the point of this rant blog is to challenge us.  If you make a choice to invest in someone….follow through.   If you take the time to say a cliché phrase of  “You’ve been on my heart..” then prove it and follow through.  Show care.  Be intentional.  Be there for the person that the Lord has laid on your heart.  If that means setting time aside to get coffee do it. If that means doing that once a week for awhile, do it.  If that means spending a couple bucks and getting a card or buying a meal, do it.  We are called to love one another, and if we are not constantly trying to grow and become better at caring, then we are doing a disservice to both the people we interact with and to ourselves.