Just Okay
So I don’t think it is news to anyone if I say I am slightly addicted to my phone. I’m surprised there isn’t a Facebook anonymous group yet, or maybe there, but no one has sent me a Facebook invite to it.
A couple of weeks ago I watched the new show, Selfie, on ABC. It’s based on My Fair Lady/Pygmalion. Eliza Dooley, the protagonist, is more well-liked and friended on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter than in reality. Her lowest point comes when she can’t find anyone to bring her ginger ale as she suffers from a bout of major food poisoning. She turns to Henry, a marketing guru at her workplace, to help her “rebrand” herself because she wants real friends rather than Instagram followers. One of his lessons involves greeting the receptionist at work, and asking “How are you?” She verbally does it, but doesn’t even wait for a response before she is back on her phone. Whether we have a phone in our hand or not, many of us are guilty of checking out after asking someone how they are doing. We wait to hear the standard “Fine,” “Good,” and “Doing Great” before proceeding onto the next thing/person. I’ve seen people get actively irritated when you don’t respond the way they wanted you to respond.
I can recall 2 such occasions. Recently, we had a small disaster occur at our home leaving us without our bedroom for a couple of weeks. On top of it I was dealing with a cold that just didnt want to leave. Basically, I’ve seen better days. During this time a Christian woman came up to me and asked me how I was doing as I made my way into church. I smiled and said, “Okay.” She then looked at me, and said “Just okay?” Another time when I was going through my season of major anxiety and depression, a Christ-Following acquaintance was angered by my response of “okay.” He asked how I was doing, and when I politely responded, “Okay” he raised his voice and said, “STILL ONLY OKAY?” When did it become not okay to be okay, especially among believers?
I felt like they would have been happier if I said, “God is on His Throne, and everything in my life is rainbows and kittens.” “God is good, so my life is great!” “Never been better.” “My life is fantastic after all I do have Christ.” Okay maybe some of those are slightly exaggerated, but you get the picture. God is good and He is on His
throne, but that doesn’t mean we won’ hurt or suffer. Actually, Jesus promised that to all who follow Him (John 15:20). He is described in scripture as a man of sorrow. Whether I feel great, just okay, sad, mad, or just plain bad, I’m accepted and loved by Christ. That definitely helps me feel better than just okay.
We are called to be open and honest as Christ Followers, and often we are reminded to surrender our masks and the images we hide behind within the Christian community. Yet, do you ever feel at times that people are more comfortable with and accepting of your "mask" than the reality you bring?