Telling someone "it could be worse" even if reality, can be so damaging. When we invalidate someone's pain just because "it could be worse", we do not bring healing. Instead, it brings burying which can lead to people feeling unworthy of the very human capacity to not be okay in a moment. Life is arduous, delicate, tough, and sometimes downright volatile. We all don't experience the same things, so sometimes we may not understand from personal experience, but let us not diminish someone else's experience for that mere fact.
1 Corinthians 12:7 and Romans 12:6 speak of now the Most High gives us different gifts and measures thereof. They directly speak about spiritual gifts. The truth is that we all have varying levels of capacity -our respective levels of endurance have respective limits. This is why we are not to compare ourselves to someone else's blessings, faux blessings, or trials. An annoying but tiny anthole to one person can be a seemingly immovable and insurmountable mountain to another. Now, we all have to figure out how to cope with life. Sometimes we have to be straight with that. The time we're living in doesn't not promote coping with life but that's for another day. Not everything is a disaster, but some things need encouragement. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all anxieties on Him. All includes whatever.
Instead of telling someone "it could be worst", did you encourage them to cast their cares on the Lord? Or did we shut it down because we don't understand or simply don't care. It likely could be worse, but we may not know their capacity. I'm not talking about chronic complainers and lazy bones. I'm talking about people who actually need to know they are seen. Some people in a fragile state may take that loaded statement as a challenge and make the situation worse. Have you tried encouraging them to find the lesson? Even when what we're going through isn't a result of our sin, there's typically a lesson to be learned. Are we emphasizing to learn to listen to the Lord's voice?
Y'all we have to be mindful of our intent. I'll level with you, I can be direct and say things how they are, some things I flat out do not care about, and sometimes I can be flat out mean. Without meaning it and sometimes without knowing until after it comes out my mouth, I'll cut hella deep with my words. Here's the thing that's my responsibility to work on, not a way for me to tell people "that's just how I am" because I want to exude Christ. With that being said before spewing damaging go-to phrases, let's check our intent and acknowledge our responsibility for our words and actions. Let us make a point to meet people where they are, but let us do so in love.
If no one has shown you today, I love you but my God loves you better.
Be blessed.
-K.T. Braxton