How many times during a typical day are you asked that question? It’s one of the most common greetings, but how many of us give it much thought beyond a typical short reply of “fine”?
A few years ago, I started answering this question in a new way by happily responding, “I’m a woman doing well.” When I follow my response with, “and how are you?” the interaction usually goes a layer deeper than the standard surface exchange. Sometimes I have the opportunity to tell the person about Women Doing Well and how God is using women to fund His Kingdom. By far, the most memorable response was from a young clerk at a convenience store. After pondering my state of being a woman doing well, he uttered in a slow and thoughtful voice, “I’m a man doing the same.”
What I’ve noticed in my own life is the more I use this response, the more I feel it is true. It reminds me of God’s blessings, goodness, and His desire for me to live an abundant life. From Scripture we know,
Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth” Ephesians 1:7-10.
And with His Word in my heart, my reply bubbles out, “I am a woman doing well.”
In the 2012 research study, Directions in Women’s Giving, Women Doing Well discovered six attributes of women who are living and giving in God’s image. One of those attributes was “Confidence” in how much and where a woman gives. As I reply to the “How are you?” question with a confident, “I am a woman doing well,” God taps my heart and generates ongoing thoughts of how I can live and give more like Jesus. This leads to prayer about more sacrificial giving, the desire to align my giving to my passions, and a reminder to share the message of the joy of generosity with others.
So, how are you?
