Up for a challenge?
14/08/07 14:10 Filed in: Empower
You are? Good. Try going for 1 hour
without asking or thinking a single question. That’s
right, not one question. How do you think you’d do?
I don’t think I’d do very well. Why? Because I love asking questions. If I can’t ask questions (or even think questions), I’d get frustrated. Questions are too big a part of my life and ministry. I like asking, “What’s God calling you to be? What dreams do you want to make real? What can you do to close the gap?”
Well, how about this challenge? Deeply understand every question you hear. This is the challenge I’m working on. It’s hard.
Everywhere I go, people are asking questions. For example, when listening to students I hear, “When’s this due? Do we have to?” When training teachers I hear, “Why are we working on this? I’ve got so much going already—how am I going to add this?” When coaching Christian leaders I hear, “How do I handle email? I just got blasted—now what?”
Listen deeply to a question and you might hear someone’s heart. Listen deeply and you might hear their deeper longings:
Who can you bless by asking a good question? How can you hear someone’s heart today? And remember, God, too, asks questions. What question is God asking you?
I don’t think I’d do very well. Why? Because I love asking questions. If I can’t ask questions (or even think questions), I’d get frustrated. Questions are too big a part of my life and ministry. I like asking, “What’s God calling you to be? What dreams do you want to make real? What can you do to close the gap?”
Well, how about this challenge? Deeply understand every question you hear. This is the challenge I’m working on. It’s hard.
Everywhere I go, people are asking questions. For example, when listening to students I hear, “When’s this due? Do we have to?” When training teachers I hear, “Why are we working on this? I’ve got so much going already—how am I going to add this?” When coaching Christian leaders I hear, “How do I handle email? I just got blasted—now what?”
Listen deeply to a question and you might hear someone’s heart. Listen deeply and you might hear their deeper longings:
- When a student asks, “Do we have to?” he might
be saying “I want to serve Jesus—how will learning
this help?”
- When a teacher asks, “Why are we working on
this?” she might be asking “How can this training
help me better equip students to impact the world
for Christ?”
- When a leader says, “I just got blasted—now what?” she might be asking “How can I be humble and promote Christian unity?”
Who can you bless by asking a good question? How can you hear someone’s heart today? And remember, God, too, asks questions. What question is God asking you?