How are you doing? Don’t give the typical “I’m fine” answer. Be honest. Be real. How are you doing? 

You know, we often go through life with fake smiles and try to hide our worries, frustrations, concerns, anxieties. This ain’t right. God didn’t make us to hide mess. God didn’t design us to walk around weighted emotionally, spiritually. He doesn’t desire we walk around physically weighted either, but that Blue Bell Ice Cream, cheeseburgers, home-made southern cooking makes that hard, am I right?! 

How are you doing? Honestly. It’s crazy how the older we get we learn the value of our doctors office check ups. It’s good to get the tires rotated and oil checked every now and then…even in our bodies. A check up is needed and vital. It allows us to get a professional to look us over and make sure things are flowing as needed, working as they’re supposed to be working, that our vision ain’t worse and if it is to get new glasses instead of struggling which makes the vision worse. Sometimes I think we allow our pride to get in the way. We don’t want to own the fact that we’re getting older. We can’t stand that we can’t do what we use to be able to do as quickly. And when we try to prove that we still got it we end up pulling a muscle, peeing ourself, breaking a hip or popping ibuprofen like it’s candy for the next 3 weeks. 

How are you doing? It’s ok to not be ok. There’s nothing wrong with getting a check up physically. And hear this: You need to get a check up spiritually and emotionally as well. It’s needed. If your spiritual and emotional health are hurting…then your physical is soon to follow. How is your soul feeling? Are you feeding it well? Are you follow Gods request to take a needed Sabbath to rest and re-energize? Are you filling your heart with needed worship? Are you soaking in His Word and getting plugged in with a family of believers to grow, encourage, help, uplift one another? If so…keep at it. If not…what’s holding you back? It’s ok to not be ok. It’s NOT ok to struggle and do nothing to improve ourselves. 

So, again: How are you doing? Be honest. Be real. You deserve to treat yourself. You can’t pour into others from an empty tank. “May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”’(Numbers 6:24-26, CSB) 

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail.com.