How Have You Been?

How Have You Been?

“How have you been”? I’ve been asked this question more than ever before over the last five months. It’s also the one question I’ve asked others the most during that same period of time. I remember back in the middle of March when the pandemic first started. My initial thoughts were inclined to believe this would be short-lived, temporary, and things would return to “normal” relatively soon. Boy, was I wrong about that. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. And now, here we are. Still trying to figure out how to navigate life during this difficult time. Allow me to ask you the question that is the title of this post one more time: how have you been? It’s a question I’ve been asked by my family, friends, fellows staff members, students, and many others in our church family. And guess what? I am so grateful and humbled. Not just by the amount of people asking me a basic question, but also because of the genuineness and authenticity with which people are asking the question. It’s almost as if this pandemic has been a blessing to me in some ways. I know that sounds crazy; but hear me out. The vast majority of the conversations I’ve had with people lately have not been surface level and superficial. They’ve gone deeper than that. I’ve found myself opening up more to share what’s going in my life because I have sensed my need for community and engaging with others. I love our church family. And I love engaging with the people who make up our church family. Today, I encourage you to ask someone, “how have you been”. Be open and honest with those who love you. Take the conversation to a deeper level. Keep Christ at the center of your talks with others and lock arms with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Our purpose as a church is to love, reach, and grow fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. It is amazing to me that we can engage with others by asking a simple question. And as we do, we are unlocking our potential to further accomplish our purpose as the Lord guides our conversations.