Platitudes

This week I came face to face with platitudes. You might ask what platitude means. According to Merriam-Webster a platitude is “the quality or state of being dull or insipid.” In other words, a platitude is a pointless or empty comment or statement. An example could be “break a leg.”

For me the platitude was more about being an empty comment that really was not meant. In short, I got frustrated for the phrase being said to me when there was really no meaning to the words the person said. When I asked if they ever meant the phrase, the person claimed at the time yes. However, the actions since have left me feeling the statement was an empty comment with no intentionality. It hurt to realize that the person had just been playing nice to me rather than telling me the truth. 

My main point is not to accuse the person who used a platitude, because a greater thing happened. As I was sitting getting more and more riled up about this person’s platitude, I heard a soft voice say, ‘how often to you do this to me?’ Ouch...one of those convicting moments where God realigns your thoughts with His. 

This fall, my home church has been studying the book of Mark. I am so thankful for the live stream which has allowed me to watch two of my favorite Bible teachers share faithfully what their study of God’s Word and using of commentaries has spoken into their lives. In Mark 7, Jesus responds to the Pharisees using a quote from Isaiah.

Mark 7:6-7 states, “And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of me.”

When I studied this passage for Bible study, I did do a heart assessment.  I thought about my worship and if I was worshipping God with just lip service. This has been especially true during this time here at Lighthouse. I have wanted to caution my heart from being too far from God as I take in all that is going in around me. Many of times I have stopped singing in the middle of a worship song to pray that I am not just singing the words while not feeling the meaning of the song.

So, as I sat throwing myself a pity party about this person saying a platitude to me, God reminded me that there have been times where I have gone to worship services as a means to check a box on the list or had my thoughts in a thousand other places instead of worship. I had no right to be mad at the lack of sentiment this person had said to me when I had given God platitudes. God is not one deserving of lip service. He does not deserve a pointless, dull, or insipid phrase.

Psalm 96:4a reminds, “For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised.” Reading through the Psalms can quickly remind a person of the worthiness of God to be praised with all their heart. Lip service should be far from the heart of a believer. 

Taking this one step farther is God’s words. He speaks words that are never platitude. He says what He means. When He calls us His chosen adopted children, He means it. His promise of salvation for anyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is true and forever. God’s Word does not return void. The words of God are a truth to hold onto and encourage a heart for a lifetime and beyond.

Platitudes can often leave a person feeling good for a moment, but the long haul will be shown for the emptiness of sentiment. Now, when I go to worship with just lip service, I am more aware of the hurt it causes to the One that never uses platitudes. I do not want to go to worship like a Pharisee knowing the right answers while my heart is far away.

How do I plan to change? In my Bible study book of Mark this type of question is asked often. I admit my answers have become more like a platitude than those with an intention of changing. But the change I want to make in my worship is to spend the time preparing my heart with prayer and bathing in Scripture, especially the Psalm describing worthiness of God.

There will be times when I may still not feel like I want to praise God for who He is, but He is always worthy. My life may feel like I am in the middle of a storm, but that does not change the worthiness of God. He deserves more than platitudes of lip service. 

As His image bearer, I am to follow His lead by not giving platitudes. My yes needs to be a yes. When I make a comment to a person, I want to mean it. Here is to believing I will change.