Thursday morning I woke up to news that four girls from UGA had tragically died late Wednesday night in a horrific car crash. UGA woke up to a nightmare. Each of these girls had parents, friends, a sistership in their sororities, and intricate personalities of their own. I didn’t know these girls personally, but I know some of their friends and have seen how affected this community is. I grew up in a small town where we unfortunately faced a lot of tragedy during my high school years. Every six months or so, we would all find ourselves grieving once again at the loss of a friend at school or a well-loved coach. Unfortunately (and yet, also fortunately) it is often tragedy that causes a community to fill church walls and cry out to a forgotten God... Everyone is hurting; everyone wants comfort and love. For this reason, those in our community will cling to your words and will be searching. God will have His glory and people will be saved. People will cry out; life is short. But there will also be bitterness and blame towards the church, His people, and God Himself, and for this reason as believers it is critical that we respond as the body of Christ -- with nothing but love and encouragement. In this moment of desperation, every reaction and move we make as the body of Christ will have an impact. For this reason, please stop sending the cliché Bible verses. Hear me out.

If someone is hurting because they just lost their best friend, they don’t want to hear, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11). Is that what they need to hear? Absolutely. Is that what they want to hear? Absolutely not. If an unbeliever has someone incredibly close to them die, their first reaction is not going to be to praise God through the storm; they do not live to God’s standard and the authority of the Word of God doesn’t necessarily hold the same value to them as it does to us. It will be if God loves me so much, then why would he do this to me? As believers, God never called us to text the hurting our Bible verses until our thumbs fall off. No, we have been called to share the gospel by our actions, our encouragement, and by authentically deepening our relationships. Ultimately this comes down to loving others. Sometimes that looks like sharing a Bible verse, but most times we are called to hold them while they cry; take them ice cream and make sure they eat something while they grieve; be available to talk if they need it. “For even the Son of God did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).” Show the love of the God that they are doubting in their grief.

Now, don’t misquote me. The Bible is the greatest encouragement and it is direct communication given to us as God’s people. Ultimately, the Word of God is entirely applicable, entirely true, and entirely needed. I hope that you continuously pray these scriptures over those hurting, over these victims’ families, and over your community; I pray that these verses dubbed as cliché never become irrelevant to us. They are the most used because they are so beautifully needed in these situations. I pray that we wouldn’t lose this spirit of prayer on our campus as this tragedy moves into the past. In these tragedies, we find marvelous light; I pray that we would use these situations for God’s glory, because in the end the victory will be His. I pray that you would get the chance to share these verses and show someone Who God is using Scripture. Now go, be Love to our campus, and if that involves a few Bible verses, that’s absolutely OK. But be Hands and Feet first.