• 2 Timothy 2:14
  A Worker Approved by God
  Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.
• James 1:22
  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

When you meet people for the first, beyond just a name, what do you ask of them or even better what do they ask you?

What do you do? Common enough which implies that this person is employed. I am retired, so I do not have a paying occupation, but that does not mean I am not occupied. My answer to that question isn’t as simple as I am retired.

Tell me about yourself. Now that opens up the door to anything a person is willing to share with a stranger. This is the opening moment of a relationship, to discover similar interests, things to converse about, agreements and differences.

We choose what we share based on our personality. Not all of us are open. Some of the things we have been through are not exactly opening lines. We wait until the relationship gets deeper before we “spill our guts”, if ever.

I’ve chosen these opening verses to begin with because they are meaningful to me as they relate to my being human. I am often misunderstood in my expressions and it sounds like I am quarreling over words. The second verse is to remind myself that being a Christian is much more than simply reading the bible and going to church.

There is what I did and what I do and those two things are vastly different. I lived the better part of my life being human but I live the best part of my life as a child of God. I won’t deny what I was nor shall I brag about it. I do not deny who I am now and I will not brag about it.

The difference between the two is the difference between shame and humility. I did what I did while being human, I own it. As a child of God I strive to please my Father in Heaven by obedience of faith. Strive is the proper word as it indicates life is a day by day experience, struggle, and opportunity. It is my form of doing, not merely hearing.

How are you doing? That is another common probing question.