Small Talk Or Substance

You have experienced it hundreds of times. Sometimes you initiated the conversations. At other times you were asked this same question. How are you?

I was asked that question three times yesterday. The first time happened when I walked and stopped for a few minutes to visit with a former coach and neighbor. He asked, "How are things in your world"

The second time happened after Turner's game when a man with whom  I have only an acquaintance. What do you say in response to that question. That man did not care about my life or my family. He jut wanted to make small talk. It happens all the time. People try to make small talk by asking, "How are you or how are things going?"

You know most of the time that surface question is met with a surface answer. "Fine. We are good." Is that always the case. Have you ever lied in response when asked how you are doing? Have you ever jut played the game and gave the standard answer to the standard small talk question.

The third time someone asked me that question happened after Turner's game when I intentionally sought out a former coach in this community who now coaches for an opposing team. He asked the same question, "How are things going?" He meant it. He and I have walked many hard miles together. He is a true brother. His question was not small talk.

Do we really care when we make small talk with others asking how they are doing? Do we really care if their personal worlds are crumbling? Are we really interested in hearing the truth? Do we really want to hear the truth or do we want to be fed a lie so we can move on uninterested and unconcerned.

Every single day as we interact with others we cross paths with people living in broken worlds. We meet people heavy laden with massive burdens. We interact with people who are faking it trying to hide a broken heart and a shattered faith behind a plastic smile and a lying tongue pretending everything is okay.

How did our world get this way? Since when did it become vogue not to share personal pain and not to really care. Jesus cares. When I read about Him I often read about how He walked slowly through the crowds. He saw people. He intentionally entered their broken worlds. He paused ministering to those many people ignored. He approached sinners, the sick, and those soured by life's bitter cups. Jesus really saw people. He had compassion for people. He walked slowly through the crowds and noticed Zacchaeus, lepers, the blind man by begging, the woman at the well, and even the woman caught in adultery. Jesus cared about people. He still cares about people.

Matthew 9:35-38 (ESV)
³⁵  And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
³⁶  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
³⁷  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
³⁸  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Did you catch that? When Jesus saw the crowds. The word saw means to perceive, behold, to discern.  He did not just give a casual glance. He truly saw people. He looked deeper than the surface to see the hearts of people.

What happened next? When He truly saw people He felt compassion. He had pity for them. He saw people in their distress and troubles. He saw they were cast down. He did offer small talk. When He engaged people He did so with substance. He did so with purpose. He made people His business. He still makes people His business. Do we? Do we really care about the well being of others? May we offer people more than small talk.