How Are You Today…And Why?

Bill Hendricks was my theology professor in seminary. His teaching and his presence opened me up to a way of thinking about and experiencing God that was not only beyond what I knew; it was also beyond what I had ever imagined.  Bill eventually became a mentor and a friend, but in those early days, I was in awe of him.

One day, I was washing my hands in the restroom, and Bill came through the door. He did his business, and as we both stood at the sink, he turned to me and said with his wry smile, “How are you doing today Mr. Hardwick…and why?”  As he quickly walked away, I was left wondering if he was joking or if he was serious.  Knowing Bill, it was little bit of both.  And the fact that I have not forgotten this simple encounter that happened over 40 years ago means Bill is still teaching and inspiring me.

How are you doing today?  These are words that we use all the time when we start a conversation with another person.  We don’t really think much about the question; we don’t really think much about the answer.  It is a bit of social decorum.  But when we add “and why,” this question that we ask and hear every day becomes an invitation for reflection.

And it is an invitation I offer to all who are reading this.  A few weeks ago, I led a seminar at First Christian Church of Norman, Oklahoma, entitled “You Are What You Love—A Spirituality of Desire.”  Because I shared a lot of information in those 90 minutes, I promised those in attendance that I would put this information in a series of blog posts.  This would give us a chance to interact with the material, and with each other, more deeply.

I began the seminar with some “How are you doing today and why” questions.  So many of us have been practicing the Christian faith for some time.  It has become a part of us; it is how we enter into and interact with the world.  And yet, sometimes it may not feel that way.   Sometimes, something so meaningful and so powerful, and so pervasive can become so much a part of us that we don’t step back and wonder about it from a bigger perspective.

There are many reasons for this.  We can get focused on the busyness of daily life. We can get  focused on this or that practice, this or that belief, this or that idea, that we don’t spend time answering “big picture” questions.  We answer the “how are you doing questions,” but not the “why” questions.

Here are some of these questions.  I invite you to hear them deeply.  I invite you to let them bounce around inside and evoke not just words but thoughts and feelings and images.  I invite you to be with them for as long as you want.

What am I saying about myself when I call myself a Christian?  What am I saying about others? About the world?  About the way I live in the world?

What would be a “Christian” answer to questions like these:  What are human beings?  What kind of creatures are we?  What kind of creatures are we called to be?  What are the ideals/values contained in the identity of Christian?  What is the Christian vision of human flourishing?

Hopefully, answering these questions is more than an intellectual exercise.  Perhaps the weight and the import of them made it difficult to answer the questions.  Or as you looked at your responses, some part of you feels that even while these answers are good, there is much more to say.  How are you doing today…and why?

What is it that religion and spirituality offer to everyone who comes in the door of any place of worship?  We have our fellowship; we have our teachings and insights; we have our practices.  All these things will vary in importance to different people, but is there something foundational that religion has to offer?

Some more questions for you to consider.

When you look at this person sitting across from you—they may be friend or coworker, lover or stranger—who are the really?  When you consider the person you are watching on TV or you are interacting with on social media…who are they really?  At some deep, basic level that you share with them, who are they?  Because when you answer that question, you are also answering the question, “Who am I?”

I believe that one of the most foundational gifts our Christian faith offers us is a picture of personhood, a narrative of something that is true for every human being.

What we believe about personhood is what we believe about ourselves and what we believe about others. This is not something we think about intentionally.  We can’t do it with every encounter, but if we don’t do it at all, then what we believe about others and ourselves is left to the whims of our own emotions or to the messages we receive from the world around us.

I believe this picture of personhood is something that should be informed by our Christian faith.  In fact, I believe that one of the most significant roles and primary purposes that religion can play is giving us a template for personhood.  Who are we are persons?  How we answer that question shapes how we will respond in any situation.

These words from James K. A. Smith, in his book, Desiring the Kingdom speak to the foundational importance of personhood:

“Because every approach to discipleship and Christian formation assumes an implicit model of what human beings are.  While these assumptions usually remain unarticulated, we nonetheless work with some fundamental (though unstated) assumptions about what sort of creatures we are—and therefore what sort of learners we are. If being a disciple is being a learner and follower of Jesus, then a lot hinges on what you think “learning” is.  And what you think learning is hinges on what you think human beings are.  In other words, your understanding of discipleship will reflect a set of working assumptions about the very nature of human beings.”

What do we believe to be the essence of all human beings?

What do we believe to be the essence of being a Christian, a disciple of Christ?

What kind of creatures are we?  What are we called to be?

There are many ways to answer these questions.  Different philosophies and theologies offer answers.  To be sure, these are not questions that we consider every day and with every encounter. But sometimes it is helpful to step back and experience the power of these questions, and the answers you give.  Because the way you answer these question shapes the way you see yourself and relate to the world around you.

How are you doing today…and why?

Please join the conversation by responding in the comments section below.