How are you doing spiritually?

At the beginning of the year I was catching up with my good friend Hannah. We were messaging each other back and forth as it had been a very long time since we last spoke. At the end of one of her messages she asked me the question “How are you doing spiritually?”

What? Is that even a question that can be asked? I have never been asked such a straight question regarding my walk with God however I admired the directness of the question. This question awakened a lot of trust and transparency and I began to relate to Hannah, quite candidly, experiences from the past year (2013).I was open about my hopes, my fears, my struggles and my victories and in return she openly shared her experience. It’s very interesting because some of the things she expressed I could definitely relate to, and I was very encouraged as I often used to think that I was the only one who thought a certain way or went through a certain thing,  but I was able to see that there are others who go through similar things too. Our conversation definitely dispelled any myths or preconceived ideas we had about each other and we both committed to praying for each other.

During that week I began to think about our conversation and the question she asked. It made me think – How often do I ask my friends about their walk with God? Their temporal/physical well being is definitely important, hence why I ask “how are you doing?” “How is work going”? “Did you manage to pay that thing off?” “Have you settled into your new house yet?” etc. How much more important is their spiritual well being? Should I not be just as concerned? So that week I decided that I am going to make a habit of enquiring about the spiritual well being of my friends and family at appointed opportunities.

It’s very important to me as I've realised that we as human being often operate on a “don’t ask, don’t tell” basis. If Hannah never asked me that direct question about my spiritual life it’s more than likely that I wouldn't have said anything even if she asked “How’s your life going or how are you generally?”  It’s very important to me as I remember a few years back I wasn't doing too good spiritually, I was making a load of bad decisions and pretty much weaving a tangled web for myself. I remember feeling like I couldn't speak to anybody; I thought to myself no one will understand, who can really relate? At that time it felt like everyone around me was going from strength to strength on their Christian journey and I was scared to approach anyone as I felt that maybe they would judge me and say “How can you be thinking/feeling this way?” “How could you let this happen, you should have known better!” so in my mind it felt easier to just put on a pretence and act like everything was OK. Obviously it’s very unlikely that any of my friends or family would have acted in this way, but those were some of the barriers that kept me from speaking to anybody or seeking encouragement during that time. However I do wonder, if I was asked back then the question “how are you doing spiritually?” would I have had the courage to answer that question and ask for prayer and guidance? Is that what it would have taken, just someone to simply ask?

When it comes to our friends and family, obviously everyone’s walk with God is personal to themselves and God is their strength and helper in all things. However we can do our part as friends and take notice and care for their spiritual well being, pray for specific things in their life and encourage them through our conversations with them and through sharing scripture.

So today, if you are reading this, I encourage you to take the time when conversing with friends and family to enquire about their spiritual well being. Ask them “how are you doing spiritually?”, “How is your Christian journey going?” etc. It may come as a shock to some people as it is something that is rarely asked, but I can tell you from my own experience, the question was much appreciated, it meant a lot to me and made quite an impact.

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." 

James 5:16

Love, your girl forever,

♥ Miss Daisy ♥