16 February 2002
Subject: How Are You Doing?
Dear Ones,
"Good morning! How are you doing?"
As we pass strangers on the street, many times we use a
perfunctory greeting such as that I have just used. The salutation,
"Good morning", appears quite appropriate to the occasion, but how
about the follow-on question regarding the person's health or welfare, "How
are you doing?
No doubt, we wish them a "top-of-the-morning" good
day, but do we really care how they are doing. Have you ever wondered what you
would do, if the person stopped in his or her tracks and began telling you how
they really are or how they feel. You would never expect a stranger on the
street to respond in this manner to your query, but how about your friends.
I must confess. I can remember telling one of my friends
once, "Never ask old so-and-so (another friend) how they are doing...
because for the next 30 minutes they will tell you, in minute detail, every
single ailment they suffer from." Perhaps you know someone who goes through
the same routine when you ask how they are doing.
We all know that to have friends, we must be a friend. That
means, when we ask how someone's doing, we need to wait and listen to their
answer. I once read "Everyone hears what you say. Friends
listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say."
That's
a great way to put it, don't you agree?
Not long ago, I read a quote along these lines that raised
my thinking to a higher plane. The man said, "When I ask how you are
faring, my friend, I do not want to know how much money you make or what kind of
car you drive or how costly is your house. What I really care to know is... have
you given your soul a place to live?"
How are you doing this morning, my friend?
I pray all is well with your soul.
Don
