You're passing someone on the sidewalk. You haven't had the greatest day, so you try to just look down, avoid eye contact. But, that just isn't working.
"HI!"
Oh no, they've noticed you. You better respond.
"Hey, how's it going?"
(Please say fine, please say fine....)
"Oh fine, how're you?"
(Yes! We're going for generic responses!)
"Just fine, thanks."
Whew, that's a relief, huh? And really, who wants to hear about what you're thinking? Who wants to know that actually, today you spilled coffee all over the paper you sprinted to the library to print and that now you feel like staying up until three am to get it done was all for nothing? Who wants to know that, honestly, you don't feel too great today and you'd give anything to have a break?
I'll tell you exactly who wants to hear that. God does.
How many times do we have this mini-conversation with people we see in passing daily? We walk by people on campus, our friends in class, or teachers in their offices and we have this little exchange where we say hello and ask if the other person is doing well. The common courtesy answer is "fine." To be honest, there are some people who I'm just not going to open up to. People who would think I was crazy if instead of saying, "I'm fine, thanks" I said, "Actually, I'm in my senior year of college and and sort of having a meltdown at the idea that I'm about to be an adult soon." I wouldn't blame those people for thinking I was crazy. I'm not a person that shares my innermost thoughts with everyone around me. The problem with getting into the habit of the "I'm fine, thanks" answer, though, is when we start saying it to God. God wants to hear it all. He wants us to cast all our cares upon Him, for He is greater.
You see, God already knows we're not fine. He created us. He sees our innermost thoughts. When I tell God "I'm fine," He can already see all of the stress and worry that is in my heart. So why should I waste my time trying to convince Him that I'm "fine" when really I should be spending that time laying my burdens at HIs feet? That's why "I'm fine" is not enough for God. It never has been and it never will be.
Jeremy Camp has a song called "He Knows." Some of my favorite lyrics are:
"Let your burdens come undone
Lift your eyes up to the one
Who knows
He knows"
So, if God already knows our hearts then how could saying "I'm fine" ever be enough for Him? The answer is, it can't. He already knows the true answer, He's just waiting for me, and you, to come find rest in Him.
