We place higher expectations on those who share our faith: other Christians. We expect them to be understanding, supportive and kind. We never expect them to “kick us when we're down.” We never think that they will be the ones to hurt us or say harmful things to us. I don't mean to excuse the bad behavior of some, but we often place higher expectations on other Christians than is appropriate. We may think the world wants to harm us, but other Christians are our brothers and sisters, so we should always be able to trust them to have our back. For those of us who come from large families, we know that sometimes the people who can hurt us the worst are the ones we are closest to. Christians can be the most harmful people because we often put them on some sort of pedestal. We expect them to be different. After all, the Bible says in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We are expected to show love, especially to fellow believers. The problem is that Christians are not perfect. We know how we should act, but we all struggle to be the people God has called us to be. The people who say or do things to hurt us may have good intentions. The better meaning sometimes is that people can hurt us with their words or actions. They may not even realize they are being offensive. Some people are just plain mean. They think they are being direct or sincere. They excuse their words or actions by saying things like “I have to tell the truth.” Or: “I can't help but say what I think; that is, I have always been very direct." These are weak excuses for offending people. These people are simply insensitive and can be vindictive. The Bible warns not to believe anything paper, but simply spent time with them and allowed them to suffer. Another useful cliché is "If you can't improve silence, don't try." David was an incredible poet. He put pen to paper when he was sad, when he was scared and grieving. Reading the Psalms is almost like reading this man's private thoughts and personal diary after the heart of the Lord. Many of his writings are so personal. Reading the Psalms brings so much comfort because we can see ourselves in them and it is often as if we are looking at a mirror of ourselves and what we are going through. Most Christians do not mean to hurt with their words. In fact, most think they are helping by quoting Scripture or spouting clichés. Don't be angry with them. Be patient with them. Sometimes you have to tell them what is or isn't helpful to you right now.