Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. [Proverbs 3:13, NLT]

We love to learn more about the things we really value.

If you enjoy football, you are probably a member of a fantasy league where you are encouraged to draft, coach and manage your own team. To do it well, you need to master a broad knowledge about players and football strategy. Your ability to win depends upon your knowledge and understanding of both the players and the game.

The same is true in our relationships with others. When you value someone you take the time to really get to know them.

And nothing helps in the process of understanding like a great question.

When you are meeting someone for the first time or getting together with a long-time friend, the right question can open the door for hours of great conversation.

Whenever I’m taking a road trip with a car full of friends, I bring along a list of fun questions.

Here’s a sampling of some great discussion starters.

• What movie or author influenced you the most? Why?

• Did you enjoy elementary school?

• What were your best and worst subjects in school?

• What was the most dramatic event of your childhood?

• What are your favorite leisure activities?

• What is your favorite food? Dessert?

• What were the major turning points in your life?

• What has been your greatest disappointment in life?

• What has been your greatest success?

• What is your deepest need right now in this season of your life?

I hope these help to ignite an explosion of new insights and greater understanding between you and your friends! Let the fun begin!

To find our life’s purpose, it’s important to ask the right person and to ask the right question. AS we shared in the last blog, the right person is Jesus. He created us, redeemed us, and desires to lead us as we walk in relationship with Him.

However, once we come to Christ, we can still be guilty of asking the wrong question. After all, if you ask the wrong question, you’ll get the wrong answer. The same is true in discerning God’s direction.

For example, we often ask, “What is God’s will for my life.” The subtle problem with the question is our over-emphasis on the pronoun “MY,” as in, “My life.”

The proper question is, “What is God’s will?”

Once we know God’s will, our job is to adjust our lives accordingly. The focus needs to remain on God and not me. Otherwise we merely baptize our selfishness in religious language.