How are you?

Recently, someone asked me how I was.  Before I could even think, I automatically replied, "Fine."  I paused for a nano-second, and then clarified.  "Actually, I'm stressed out about xyz, but everything else is fine."  I'm not exactly sure what compelled my revision of the socially expected response.  We are seemingly programmed to respond, "Fine," whether it is true or not.  Maybe because we don't want to reveal problems and insecurities, or maybe because the person asking isn't interested in an answer with more than one syllable.  It is interesting to ponder.

How are you?

Fine.  

Love in Action

There are moments in time, when we get a glimpse of love in action.  God grants us the gift of seeing through His eyes and we connect to another in ways we can't explain.  In today's world, with the pressures and expectations of perfection, busy-ness, and keeping up with unrealistic images, we can miss the simple beauty that exists in the soul of another.  The times when we do pause long enough to notice these gifts are grace-filled.

I think, too often, we discount our own good-ness.  Not in a prideful way, but as a genuine human, reaching out to another human, supporting each other.  So many times we fall into the trap of 'not-enough,' as in I'm not good enough, smart enough, organized enough, involved enough, generous enough, etc. that we miss the opportunity to feed another's soul.  Just the other day, someone commented to me that they 'knew' me:  that I was spiritual, a musician, prayerful.  While I appreciate the persona I apparently exude, this is't the whole story.  Even if I appear to be those things, most of the time I don't feel I am those things, or at least, not as well as I could be.  You see, even if I strive to be those things (and I do) and I desire to live that way (and I try), I will probably never say that about myself.  I'm not saying that I'm modest or humble, rather, it's hard to claim my royalty as a daughter of the King when I never measure up in my own head.