\u201c5 Things Christians Should Stop Saying\u201d<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 As a millennial, I resonated with each phrase and hoped more good-intentioned evangelicals would think through some of the implications of insider language like, \u201cGod\u2019s plan\u201d or \u201cfirst world problems\u201d.\u00a0 When I began to embrace Anabaptist thought, I slowly removed Christianese pet phrases like, \u201cToo blessed to be stressed\u201d or \u201cGod has a plan\u201d from my vocabulary.\u00a0 My none-but-Jesus hermeneutic just can not reconcile the trite with Truth and while they roll from my tongue with little effort and lots of panache, they don\u2019t sound like Jesus or communicate his love.\u00a0 This Calvary-like love begins with humility and foot-in-mouth blanket phrases of faith prevent me from walking with the hurting with humility so\u2014the Christian clich\u00e9s must die!<\/p>\nOne phrase suggested in the post that particularly struck me was, \u201cI\u2019ll be praying for you\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 I say this all the time and at first, I reared back in my kitchen chair at the writer\u2019s audacity to check my<\/em> godly good intentions. After I thought (and read his explanation\u2014it really does make a difference when you take a moment to kick defensiveness to the curb, quiet your anxiety, and LISTEN), I realized that when we use \u201cI\u2019ll be praying for you\u201d as a way to say:<\/p>\n \u201cI kinda sorta care and since we\u2019re Christians I\u2019m suppose to mention that I\u2019ll pray for you. Paul said something about that right? Right. So, I\u2019ll pray for you. Like\u2026. generally\u2026like with as little words as I can and check you off my to-do list as if you are as important to me as my laundry or water bill\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nwe strip away the power of heaven touching earth that only passionate pleas offered by siblings to a loving Father can bring.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nBut, the truth is, I\u2019m one of those weird people who actually loves to pray for others. It doesn\u2019t make me holier or special\u2014 I just think God made me a really, really, enthusiastic talker and like most talkers, I\u2019m prone to gossip. I think prayer is my way of tipping the ear of the Divine and gossiping about the injustice of the world.<\/strong> \u201cCan you believe what is going on in Haiti, right now, Lord? Isn\u2019t it scandalous how frustrating these children can be? Jesus, you\u2019re gonna flip some tables when I tell you what my husband said to me last night. All of this is a hot, hot mess, Lord. What can we do? Will you hold my secrets fears about all the drama close to your chest and reveal the mysteries of your healing to them? Will you change me so I can look a little bit more like you?\u201d<\/p>\nPraying has become one of favorite ways to love someone with my words (and my urge to talk everything out) and so, while I\u2019ll make sure I don\u2019t ask \u201care you saved\u201d, or show off my mystical bent with cryptic mentions of \u201cunspoken\u201d prayer requests, I\u2019ll keep saying \u201cI\u2019ll be praying for you\u201d.<\/p>\n
When I say, \u201cI\u2019ll be praying for you\u201d,\u00a0 I means more than, \u201cI\u2019m so super holy! Check it\u2014 Jesus and I talk so Imma talk to him about you. Don\u2019t you worry, boo, this Christian girl\u2019s got this!\u201d<\/p>\n
What I mean when I say I\u2019m praying for you, is that I believe that you will find a light and I want to hold your hand in the darkness.<\/p>\n
When I say I\u2019m praying for you, I\u2019m admitting that I don\u2019t have all the answers.<\/strong> As compassionate as I try to be and as often as I ask God for wisdom, sometimes when you\u2019re facing me with questions, I can only stare back to with uncertainty. I\u2019m uncertain where you should go to grad school, or how your marriage will make it through infidelity, or when you\u2019ll make it out of a spiritual desert. The good news is, uncertainty doesn\u2019t negate faith, hope, or love, so when I say I\u2019m praying for you, I\u2019m saying, \u201cI have faith<\/em> that Jesus cares, hope<\/em> that he\u2019s with us right now, and I love you <\/em>too much let the questions overtake you. So, let\u2019s go to Jesus and let him work out all this \u2018ish\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen I say I\u2019ll be praying for you, I\u2019m telling you that you\u2019re not alone.<\/strong> I want to taste your sorrows on my tongue and gnash your offenses in my teeth. I want to feel the heartburn of your broken dreams. I want to spend the night massaging the ache of your losses and if you\u2019ll let me, hold you close while you wet my shoulder with your salty tears. I want to carry your cross for a while. I want to die to my comfort for the sake of yours.\u00a0 Praying for you is the beginning to true solidarity.<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen I say I\u2019ll be praying for you, I\u2019m telling you that you matter<\/strong>\u2014not your juicy drama, not the way your confidence makes me feel all gooey and needed, not even the connection to Kingdom work this prayer time invokes\u2014You matter! My sister, my brother, my friend\u2014you matter. You, an image bearer\u2014a precious reflection of God to me\u2014 are so profound and so stunning that nothing less than wholeness should be yours. In fact, your pain, truly ticks me off. When I say I\u2019m praying for you, I\u2019m telling you I want more than this war-torn world for you. When I say I\u2019m praying for you, I\u2019m asking you to take me hand and let\u2019s run to the throne of grace through the crossfire and if we get hit\u2014we get hit together. Then we\u2019ll let Jesus heal us\u2014together!<\/p>\nWhen I say I\u2019m praying for you, you better expect texts and corner of the sanctuary check-ins, Facebook messages of Scriptures that might mean something to you and care packages at your door, because gossiping and meddling go hand-in-hand. This is holy meddling, my friend\u2014I\u2019m so sorry and you\u2019re welcome. <\/strong><\/p>\nWhen I say I\u2019m praying for you, you better expect Jesus to show up, not because I\u2019m super holy\u2014check it\u2014 Jesus and I talk and Imma talk to him about you! But because we\u2019re super holy, this space is SUPER HOLY<\/em>\u2014check it\u2014 where two or more are gathered in his name Jesus is there in our midst and when we are unified in his presence, great and wild things happen. Joy is found, hope reclaimed, questions re-framed, Shalom restored.<\/p>\nDon\u2019t you worry, Boo\u2014 Jesus has got this. <\/strong><\/p>\nSo, today know this: I\u2019m praying for you, generally for blessings and God\u2019s love to fill you right this very second, but I wanna pray more specifically.<\/p>\n
You know, you would be doing me a favor, since I\u2019m got a plethora of words bubbling in gut, begging to be spoken and if I don\u2019t talk about something I might be forced to talk about Jay-Z and Solange and #WhatJayZSaidToSolange.\u00a0 Won\u2019t you could help a poor gossip turned Kingdom girl out and share\u2026<\/p>\n
How can I pray for you, today?<\/strong><\/p>\nAnd know this too, I promise with all my heart that today, tomorrow, this week,\u00a0 and for as long as Jesus reminds me to, I\u2019ll be praying for you.<\/strong><\/p>\nPraying for your Shalom today,<\/p>\n
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\u00a0 Last week, I read an article called, \u201c5 Things Christians Should Stop Saying\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 As a millennial, I resonated with each phrase and hoped more good-intentioned evangelicals would think through some of the implications of insider language like, \u201cGod\u2019s plan\u201d or \u201cfirst world problems\u201d.\u00a0 When I began to embrace Anabaptist thought, I slowly removed Christianese […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3037,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[462,3,398],"tags":[515,517,351,93,432,360,21,518,16,292,137],"class_list":["post-4788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anabaptist","category-blog","category-faith","tag-whatjayzsaidtosolange","tag-christianese","tag-community","tag-faith","tag-friendship","tag-hope","tag-jesus","tag-pray","tag-prayer","tag-shalom","tag-trust"],"yoast_head":"\n
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