I’ve heard many say how much they hate Christian clichés.  Some have said that they hate popular Christian books, Christian music, Christian movies, “Christian” anything—because they’re all cliché, shallow, and fake.  I will admit—there have been plenty of moments when I would agree. 

Other people (both Christian and non-Christian) cringe at Christian clichés said out loud in response to the suffering and challenges of life.  You know what I mean—those lines we can pull out so easily that seem to be the “Christian thing to say.”  The lines we use when we feel awkward and don’t know what to say and want to close the conversation.  The lines that ultimately serve to keep us distanced from the pain that others experience as they push forward a perfect plastic happiness—instead of listening to the hurt, sitting through the tears, hearing the echoes of doubt.

At the heart of most clichés is a seed of truth.  That is something we must remember.  But what may have once been meaningful sentiments are now used as a shield to not think too much, not feel too much, not taste too much—of anything “out there.”