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Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

It’s probably the most common question in the English language. It can also be one of the trickiest. The answer to the question can reveal an awful lot about a person’s attitude, demeanor, and outlook on life. What is the question?

“How are you?” (The question has any number of variations, like “How’s it going?” and “How are you doing?” or “How ya doin’?”)

How do you answer that question? I’ve found the most common answer is a one word answer. “Fine.” And that’s…well, fine. But is it true? And if so, is it enough? I hope not!

Fine simply says things could be better. On the positive side, things could be worse, too. But why should we settle for fine? When I hear someone answer “fine,” it makes me think that perhaps that person’s life has gotten into a rut. Is “fine” the best that life has to offer? Is “fine” all that God wants for you? I say certainly not!

Back to our answers to the question. Over the course of my life I’ve had a number of responses. Lately I’ve been stuck on two: “Fantastic!” and “Better than I deserve!” But I’ve heard a lot of other answers I think are very cool, too. Two of them were favorites of my dad, who passed away in October of 2008. If ever there was a guy with a magnetic personality, it was Phil Lloyd! Pop’s favorite answers?

“If I were any better I’d have to be twins!” On days when he was feeling particularly frisky, he would up it to triplets. His other favorite was “Finer than frog hair!”

I have a dear friend, Barney, whose answer is always, “I’m blessed!”

Another friend, Tom Hoopes, always said, “Tremendous!” I liked that one so much I wrote a song as an intro for the segment he used to have on my radio show. I started calling him “The Tremendous One.”

My friend Lino Rulli, the Catholic Guy, likes to respond, “Mint!”

Unfortunately, there are some who feel that the question is an open invitation to spill about all of the ills that have befallen them in their lives. These poor souls just ooze negativity. While they certainly need our prayers, they’re probably someone you’re going to avoid in the future. If nothing else, you’ll come up with a different opening line when you see them, right? I mean, who wants to be bombarded with negativity? No one! And as Christians, we have nothing to be negative about. Quite the contrary. We need to be a people of rejoicing! So how can you reflect that in answering the world’s most common question? Think of how your answer to that may just help to brighten up someone’s day. Let’s get rid of “I’m fine,” and replace it with something that reflects more clearly God’s goodness in our lives.

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;

worship the LORD with cries of gladness;

come before him with joyful song.

Know that the LORD is God,

our maker to whom we belong,

whose people we are, God’s well-tended flock.

Enter the temple gates with praise,

its courts with thanksgiving.

Give thanks to God, bless his name,

good indeed is the LORD,

Whose love endures forever,

whose faithfulness lasts through every age.

Psalm 100

Maybe you’ve heard this old expression:

“If you’re happy, let your face know.”

As children of God, we have the most awesome, unbelievable treasure of all time! Eternal life through Jesus Christ! How can we not be positive about life? God has blessed you with the gift of life, and the gift of faith. Yet so many Christians are walking through life like expressionless zombies. While I am a big fan of zombie flicks (guilty pleasure), I daresay that I would not be attracted to a zombie should one ever cross my path. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I would run in the opposite direction as fast as my legs would carry me. So it is with people who meet up with Christian zombies. With that in mind, I offer you this piece of advice:

•DON’T BE A CHRISTIAN ZOMBIE!

Learn to smile more. Practice that wry smile that will make other people wonder what you’re thinking or what you’re up to. That’s the one that is more likely to entice someone to ask you what you’re smiling about. Then…Bingo! An opportunity to share your story. See? More Smiles = More Jesus.

What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31

Saint Paul asks the question: If God is for us, who can be against us? It may seem like a rhetorical question, but I believe it has an answer. Do you know what the answer is? WHO CARES?? That’s the answer to the question. If God is for us, it doesn’t matter who is against us. And I can tell you most assuredly, God is for you. God only wants what is best for you at all times. Please don’t make the mistake so many make and think that God wants to fulfill your every desire. That’s not how God works. Why? Because God knows not all of our desires are good or holy or within His will. Because of our fallen nature, many of our desires would do nothing more than lead us away from God. What kind of loving parent would do things intentionally that they knew would push their children away? Things they knew would be harmful to their children? Our God would never do that! Because God is a loving Father, and a loving Father always wants what is best for his children.