I am Sam

I’m in a class with mostly young people. The professor is a little younger than I am and all the students, except for me, of course, are close to 19. 

Anyway, it was the first class after spring break, and you could see on their faces they would’ve preferred to extend it if they'd had the option. The professor asked how they were after the break, and the first student who responded was a young lady named Sam, who replied to the question with, “I am Sam.” The professor must have been distracted because she moved on to the next student without reacting.

After class, I asked Sam about her response. She said she had answered in that manner in the past, and now it was her standard response.

This made me think, how often do we ask someone how they are without really listening to the response? Also, how often are we asked that question and give a flippant response? What’s the point of such an exchange?

So much of our social interaction with each other is more fluff than substance. We comment on the weather or ask someone how their day is going, hoping they will give a flippant answer so we can move on to the next thing in our day. 

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” - Matthew 7:12-14 ESV

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  - Philippians 2:1-4

I’m not sure how I’m going to change the way I interact socially with others, but this young lady has convinced me that flippant questions and responses are not as good as declaring I am me.