When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. (2 Sam. 11:7)

“IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU. How are you?”

Do you ever wonder if the person who asks how you are really cares how you are? Have you asked how someone is without really caring. It’s easy to ask the question as a social courtesy or as a well-ingrained habit, and it’s OK to ask, but we ought to ask sincerely and listen for the answer.

Did King David bring Uriah home from the battlefield so he could inquire about Joab, the soldiers, and the war’s progress? No! He brought him home to set a sinister plot in motion. His questions to Uriah were insincere.

A greeter routinely asked people at church how they were without really paying attention to their answers. One morning he asked an older woman how she was and received the reply, “My arthritis is killing me.”

“That’s nice. Praise the Lord,” the greeter answered. Obviously, he had not asked sincerely.

How different and honoring to the Lord the greeter’s reply would have been if he had said, “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you will feel better soon. I will be praying for you.”

If we really care about others, we will care enough to listen to how they respond to the question, “How are you?” If we don’t care, we shouldn’t ask.

Be sincere and listen carefully.

Jim Dyet was born in Scotland and grew up in Canada. Married fifty-eight years, he and his wife Gloria live in Colorado Springs, where Jim enjoys golf and daily walks with their dogs.

© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.