Ever been involved in a conversation like this in your home?
Person #1: “What would you like for dinner tonight?”
Person #2: “I don’t care. I’m okay with whatever.”
Person #1: “But I need you to give me something to go on. What are you hungry for?”
Person #2: “Seriously. Anything. I don’t care. Whatever you choose.”
Person #1: “I’m always making the decision. Why don’t you choose this time?”
Person #2: “What do you want me to say? Pizza. Burgers. Mac-n-cheese. Whatever’s easy. I really don’t care.”
Sound familiar? Notice the phrase: “I don’t care.”
Think about how the phrase is quite revealing. The person saying, “I don’t care,” is probably attempting to be deferential, suggesting that they don’t want to be picky or demanding. They would truly be fine with just about any meal selection. But there’s also a deeper truth hiding behind their veneer of humility. That deeper truth just might be apathy, as seen in their use of the phrase, “I don’t care,” which describes apathy to a T. Apathy is a lack care.
The word “apathy” derives from the Greek “pathos” which is defined as “to feel passion.” Put that letter “a” in front of the word, and it negates the word it is attached to. ”A-pathos” is “to not feel passion” or “absence of passion.” Thus we can see how our English word “apathy” means “to not care, to lack care.”
Therefore, apathy in relationships is far more consequential than choosing what to eat for dinner. Apathy is a relationship killer. This coming week, I continue our relationships series focusing on what it means to care for another. A familiar biblical word relates to overcoming apathy, philadelphia. Brotherly love. How do we nurture brotherly love in our lives so that we care for one another in the church?
Join me on the blog next week as I talk about it further.
Engaging Scripture 