Day 208: How Are You?

 DAY 208

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith

by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland

pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty    Thursday 8 October 2020

How Are You?

“The correct answer to the question ‘How are you?’ is Not too bad. Why? Because it’s all-purpose. Whatever the circumstances, whatever the conditions, Not too bad will get you through. In good times it projects a decent pessimism, an Eeyore-ish reluctance to get carried away. On an average day it bespeaks a muddling-through modesty. And when things are rough, really rough, it becomes a heroic understatement. Best of all, with three equally stressed syllables, it gently forestalls further inquiry, because it is – basically – meaningless.” - From the current issue of a literary/opinion magazine.

“How are you?” she was asked the first day of the semester as she walked to class and was passed by a student going the opposite direction. So she stopped and turned to answer the question, only to watch the questioner fade in the distance. “I thought they wanted to know – otherwise why would they have asked?” Fairly quickly it became apparent to her as a foreign student that Americans don’t really want to know how you are – in fact, she found that those who take time to go into detail in response to the question don’t get asked much – again, people don’t really want to know. The correct and socially accepted response is “Fine – how are you?”

When God asked Adam where he was in the Garden, He wasn’t asking about physical location but ‘how are you?” When Jesus invites those who are “weary and heavy laden” promising “I will give you rest” it is another way of asking ‘how are you?’ and of anticipating the response. When we as Christians ask others ‘how are you?’ it should never be a matter of cultural courtesy but rather a desire to know how someone else is doing. “Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2) begins with asking “How are you?” and the response, if honest, is never “basically – meaningless.” During this time of a pandemic people need to know we care, a caring that starts with a simple question sincerely asked: “How are you?”

By the way, the experience above was that of my wife when she came to this country from Switzerland to attend university. It still at times perplexes her that Americans ask a question to which they really do not want an answer.       

Reflective question: To whom does Jesus want you to ask this question so you can respond as Him for them?

Reflective Scripture: Proverbs 11:25 – “…whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

Reflective hymn:

“Are you Weary?” – St. Stephen of Mar Saba (725-794)

Are you weary, are you languid, are you sore distressed?

“Come to me,” says One, “and, coming, be at rest.”