Hello dear friends!
Today's post is not written by me, but by another dear friend, and here's how it happened:
A long time ago, we met this family with a really long name. :D Actually, it wasn't that long ago, but it seems like it, because we have gotten to know each other so quickly. I believe one of the reasons for that is that we have had many meaningful conversations. One time some friends, Rosie, and I were eating lunch together when Rosie asked a question that changed my life (I'll let you know what it was at the end. :D) But it wasn't just a one-time occurrence! When we get together, she regularly asks meaningful questions, and I have determined to become better at doing the same thing. So I asked her if she would be willing to share with us a list of some questions that we could ask our friends in conversations to turn them from trivial to meaningful. Conversations can be very profitable! Here are 25 questions that you can ask in your conversations to get to know your conversation partner(s) in a meaningful and profitable way. You never know whose life you may change!
Thank you Rosie!! :D
~ Kina
25 Meaningful Discussion Questions
For You & Your Friends:
How old were you when you began to purposefully invest in your relationship with God, and what provoked that? How have you seen God’s hand in building up your relationship with Him since then, as a result?
What one lesson did you learn growing up that has become an overarching theme of your life so far? What did you learn about God through it? How is this lesson continuing to be instilled within you now?
Where do you want to see yourself in 10 years? What has God already done in the last 10 years of your life?
What are some specific songs and verses that are particularly meaningful to you, and what are the stories behind how they became that to you?
What people have shaped you the most over the years, and how have they had this impact in your life?
What is a trial or difficulty that you faced at one point that drew you significantly closer to God?
What do you want to be remembered for someday after you’re gone? What are some ways that that affects how you are living today?
How have your siblings inspired you? How do each of them specifically challenge you?
What is something that each of your parents did (for you or someone else) that you will never forget?
What is your story of a time when you thought you had something all planned out or under control, and God turned those plans upside down, stripped you of your control, or changed your life with unexpected (even undesirable) events in order to teach you to seek and follow Him and His will? What did you learn about Him through your experience?
What is one area of life or habit that has not been a challenge for you, or has been more natural for you? What areas or habits have you found a challenge to either break or cultivate? How can you see God’s mercy in those things?
What are some things that you have grown to love and appreciate about your pastor? How can we pray for our pastors more purposefully and encourage them more intentionally?
How have you gotten to know your closest friends, and how did you get to the point you are at in your friendships with them, currently? What are some ways that both conversation and experience strengthen those relationships?
How can the love of God affect the openness, depth, and strength of your family relationships, friendships, and all other relationships? How have these things benefited your relationships with others?
What is something someone said to you once that has always stuck with you, and that changed or impacted you in some specific way?
What are ways that you work towards knowing your siblings as best friends, and investing in them the same way you intentionally pour time into your friends outside of your family?
What are things that you do to build into the “culture” of your family life and strengthen it? How does God help you in being a prayerful, active, and invested part of your family and home, and where do you desire to keep growing?
What is a time of your life, thing that you did, or decision you made that you regret, but would never change because of the way God used it in your life to teach and mature you in Christ?
How do you think that walking in love as Christ loved us (Eph. 5:2) can help in living wisely and making the best use of our time in daily life?
Why do you think it is so easy for us to fall into, or even wallow in, discouragement, self-focus, wrong attitudes, or fears? How have you seen God help you overcome different symptoms of these in your own life?
What have been the biggest lessons and themes of your life that God has taught you over 2018? How has God revealed Himself to you, and what have you learned about Him?
Where were you at in your life and in your spiritual walk a year ago, and where do you find yourself now? How is God encouraging your heart, looking back on His working in-between that has brought you to this place?
How are you specifically seeking God right now for the growth that you desire to see in 2019?
How is God helping you to grow in your conversationalist skills? How can you strive for even more Christ-centeredness and intentionality in your relationships and interactions with others over 2019?
Bonus question:
{This is the question I mentioned at the beginning of the post.}
What is something about both of your parents that you are thankful for and want to emulate?
Up until the time that Rosie asked me that question, I hadn't realized how negative my thoughts often were about my parents. In fact, I went so far as to keep a journal before I got saved of things I wished my parents had done differently, and that I definitely wouldn't do myself when I was a parent. When Rosie asked me that question, I had already thrown that journal away, realizing how wrong my thinking was, but I had never replaced it with thankfulness and gratitude. I started realizing how amazing my parents really are, and I started keeping a gratitude journal of things that I am thankful for that they do. This has been way more helpful than my "they shouldn't have done that" journal for helping me to understand what good parenting is, and it has changed my perspective and helped my relationship with them. I realized that I really was the reason for almost all (like, 99.9%) of our conflicts, not they. God definitely changed my heart, but He used Rosie's question to spur me into action. :D
I encourage you to become familiar with or memorize these questions and actually ask them in your future conversations! You never knew the impact a question can have on someone's life, yours or their own.
Questions are dangerous because questions
have answers, and answers
c h a n g e o u r l i v e s.
~ To The Utmost Glory Of God ~