I have a card in my hand inscribed with the name and phone number of a really old friend. I have not seen him nor talked with him for over forty years. I want to call him but I don’t know what to say. How do you catch up with someone who you no longer know? I don’t know if he has children. I don’t know if he ever married. I don’t know what he has done for a career. All I know is what he looked like when he was a boy.
I wonder if some people feel this way about God. Perhaps they knew Him when they were a child but they have not communicated with Him for a very long time. What do they say? How do they begin the dialogue? Do they say something like, “Hello God, this is Bill, remember me? I was thinking about you and decided it was time to check in?”
If I was talking to my long ago friend I would most likely ask him how he is, but do you ask God how He is? God can’t be sick so maybe it is a stupid question. However, we can hurt from more things than a cold or a headache. We can suffer from heartaches and they are the worst. Just as parents suffer when their child is hurting I am sure God suffers. So maybe asking Him how He is, is not such a stupid question. Every good parent rejoices when his or her child calls. So go ahead and call Him. You will make His day.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 16, 2003
Spring of Life, 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453