Mar 10
30
Questions???
Mormor was unable to write her blog Friday, so she is our guest blogger today.
Last week, my husband and I stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. On the way out, I saw a t-shirt that said “Chocolate is the answer, it doesn’t matter what the question is!” This caught my attention because I am reading a book by Wendy Watson Nelson entitled Change Your Questions, Change Your Life.(You can find it at http://www.deseretbook.com.) This book is all about the questions we ask ourselves. One of the activities is to pay attention to the questions you routinely ask yourself. Write down the questions and see if they empower you or tear you down.
I have done this exercise and found that I ask myself few questions, but I am great at giving myself statements. The questions I sometimes ask open the door for self-doubt. So, I have been paying close attention to those questions and statements and banning them from my thought process.
I am also more aware of the questions I ask my family members. Are my questions empowering: “What will you do to comfort yourself?” Or are they demeaning: “How many times do I have to ask you to do this?” I am putting forth great effort to change the questions I ask my family and friends. I want to empower them and to help them to empower themselves.
I asked the first question to a friend on the phone yesterday. She has been through some devastating circumstances in the last year or so. As we spoke on the phone, I wanted to reach through and give her a hug. She told me that one of her precious pets was sick and had to be put down later that afternoon. I know of some of her struggles. I know how she loves her animals, and her dog had been her companion for a long, long time. I wanted to help her. So, I asked about her plans for the evening. And then the question came to my mind. It was one of those moments when you know that Heavenly Father gave you words to help someone else. I asked, “What will you do to comfort yourself?” She stopped for a moment and thought about it. Then responded that she would be with her other animals and they would comfort her.
Questions are powerful. Questions can spur us on to victory or lead us down the path to defeat.
Is chocolate the answer no matter the question? Sometimes it is. And the questions we ask and how we phrase them can lead us to enlightening answers that will guide us on the empowering path. What questions will you ask yourself today? How will you empower others with your questions?
