“How are you?” “I am fine.” How often do we say these words at the beginning of a 
conversation? This is perhaps the polite way of beginning a conversation; perhaps we are trying to elicit some information about them because we are concerned about them and their lives. And how often do we hear “I am fine,” knowing full well, however, that the ones we are talking with are anything but fine. You can see it in their faces; hear the pain in their voices; and see that their walk is not what it once was.
We live a frantic world, fast paced and full of all kind of activities. Rarely do we REALLY want to listen how someone is doing, because we have enough baggage of our own to sort through and deal with. Have you ever opened a conversation and asked “how are you,” and someone then launches into a detailed description of their problems? What do we usually do? Shut them down; change the subject; or try to cut the conversation short. It is not that we don’t care, its just that we . . . . And after a few times of that response, we don’t tell others, because we know they won’t listen anyway.
For the Christian one of the greatest privileges we have is that our Heavenly Father will listen. Peter says that he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He wants and desires a relationship with us that involves us listening to him (as we read his word) and us talking with him in prayer. And the beauty of it is he can do something about what it is we are going through — he helps us in some way or another (sending a friend, helping us see through the difficulty at hand; letting us go through it so we can grow . . .). He does care for us!
Lately when I am asked, “How Are you?” I respond, “Better than I deserve.” Knowing such a father as that, and thinking about how he has blessed me, then I can truly say”Better than I deserve.” Yep, that is my response — what is yours?
Tommy's Tidbits 