07 November 2018

Gratitude Stories ~ How Are You?


Greetings Dear Reader,

This greeting, “How are you”, is part of the common liturgy of our interaction with other humans.  We ask and answer the question as a part of the impersonal right observed when we pass each other.  We sound civil and kind but we seldom listen and connect.

Several years ago, I adopted a response of total honesty with my Daughter and did not realize that it had become a burden to her.  I had also in the last year stolen a public response from Dave Ramsey that I thought was honest and elicited some real conversations.  I had begun to answer folks with the response to “How are you?” with “Better than I deserve.”     

This response was true and it reminded me what blessings there are in my life.  It also allowed for some great conversations about how much of life is a gift.  When we were talking last week, my Daughter asked something of me.  She asked that, for seven days no matter who asked me how I am that I say I am doing “Good.”

I do not believe that she had any idea what she was asking.  I am in the deep South.  Everyone, everywhere asks you how you are doing eleven hundred times in a single conversation.  Within an hour of getting off the call with her I was asked six times by two people. 

What was interesting was what it taught me about my inner thinking.  You see her reasoning was that if we are in Christ, no matter what is going on inside us, we are doing good because we are in Christ.  I am at the end of my seven days and my attitude has been tweaked to see more clearly that I am doing good, which is better than I deserve.    

My gratitude story is that I am so thankful that my Daughter loves me enough to challenge me to be a better man.  I am thankful that in the vast picture of things, I am doing good, which is much better than I deserve.  So, I ask you today Dear Reader, how are you doing?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Support Page on Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Novels on Amazon             
Web Page:  www.aramisthorn.com
Facebook      Google +    Twitter  Medium   Instagram  Kids BLOG   

2 comments:

  1. I had a friend in seminary, I believe he was serving a church in Harlem, who would always ask "How are you feeling?" which would always catch me off guard and require a different relationship to my answer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is awesome Jeff. I may add that to my arsenal. Yes, arsenal, where the greatest weapon is all consuming barrier crusting love.

      Delete