2 Corinthians 1 v 3-7 - How are you?

Its Strange to think Of the doctors as a social meeting point. But Just a couple of Minutes or Sitting in a surgery waiting room and the notions of data protection goes out of the window. Suddenly you hear about people's medical problems and the cocktail Of drugs and their colourful Side affects! I must confess however. I find the waiting room chatter fascinating. Hearing about Mrs browns bunions and her daughter's problems with OCD.

It struck me as I sad there this morning that when we are within a certain environment we really open up to the subjects of that environment. Take for example the doctors surgery. People are going there for a specific purpose to get their illnesses assessed and to get their pills for the week. Because everyone there has something in common, that they are ill and in need of help, its easy for people to open up to each other. Whilst I sit here I think of the similarities between the waiting room and the church. When we go to church we know we share at least one common interest and that is we are there at church to learn or at least seek god.

But unlike the waiting room where older ladies who are a little hard of hearing shout about the latest illness to each other, Christians have a strange inability to talk about Christian issues. When was the last time you asked someone about their spiritual life? When was the last time you asked a fellow Christian about the Christian life they are leading. How often do the same conversations circle every Sunday? "how are you?" someone asks, "fine thank you, how are you" comes the response! And this goes on for about 3 conversations where you feel you have done your Christian duty and go home for your lunch. Does this sound familiar? It does to me. I am in no way saying that asking how people are is wrong, in fact its great, but... If we just ask it not expecting someone to say "not great, can you help me".

I suffered with depression a few times but the first time this really affected me I was confused by the responses I would get from some church goers. The usual Sunday conversation would start to kick in "hey mike how are you?" someone would ask, "not good I'm afraid" I would respond... Then silence. Sometimes a nervous laugh where the person would try and suss out if I'm joking or not 'you've broken the conversation cycle, what do I do now?' I could see them thinking.

Why do you think that this happened? Well there are of course many feasible reasons. Perhaps there is the notion that people simply don't mean to ask the question but mearly that they were being polite. Its possible but I think unlikely because I know that most Christians have a great deal of compassion towards each other. Ok then, so perhaps the question of "how are you" has become somewhat familiar, perhaps like saying "I love you" without thinking it to your brother at the end of a phone conversation because you are so used to saying it. You mean what you say, like you are genuinely interested in how someone is but are completely thrown when you don't get the usual responses. This is also very probable but I want to pose one other possible reason.

Could it be that we are scared? Scared of someone making us question our own walk with Christ? Scared that the response will be "not great" and we will have to pastoral give support when the roast potatoes are burning? Similarly are we scared that if we do not respond with "fine thank you" we will be putting someone into an awkward position and almost forcing then to talk to us about the problems we are facing. It is easier in the long run just to say "good thanks" and no one feels awkward.

The fact is this ladies and gentlemen. We are not always peachy. We are not always "fine thank you" and not always "good cheers" and as Christian brothers and sisters we should never be scared to say so. The bible says that we are supposed to be like priests to each other and to give pastoral support to one another.

2 Corinthians 1 v 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

You see what Paul is asking Christians in the church at corinth to do is to cast our trouble upon him so that we can help others to do the same thing.

The next time someone asks you how you are. Be honest, don't be scared to talk about it as god himself calls us to do. But also, the next time you ask "how are you" actually be prepared to help someone if they say that they are not fine.

In Christ

mikey