4 Questions to Grow Your Delight in Your Family

If you are discipling people, developing leaders or training church planters, you, no doubt, have a concern about the health of their family.

Inevitably, the people we are leading will find themselves with spouses and children that are struggling. Often, those we are seeing to help develop will be disappointed with a family member and that spouse or son or daughter will feel our disapproval even if it’s not being overtly or verbally expressed. And that disapproval can strain the relationship and can wound the soul of our loved one.

So, how can you help your people grow through this season?

A friend told me of some powerful questions a long-time, trusted mentor recently asked him about a family member who’s struggled with chronic, long-term physical illness.

Although the questions weren't as applicable for me in my marriage (because my delight in my wife is really high, thank God!), the questions did stop me in my tracks and made me think and pray about about my relationship with another loved one who has struggled with health issues.

Here are the questions...

1. Do you delight in your wife? Not for who she was, not what she will be, but today?

2. Does God delight in her?

3. How does God delight in her?

4. As her husband, how might you begin to delight in your wife more like God does? What would that look like?

(If the challenging circumstances are with a child, then insert “son/daughter” for “wife” and “dad” for “husband.”)

These might be powerful tools as you seek to help with the health of someone that you're training. Today, I journaled for 3 pages in seeking to answer and process those questions for myself in connection with one of my family members. I came up with 5 strategies that I hope to implement over the next month. I can't wait to see what God does in me.

So, who in your world needs to hear and process these questions? Do you need to process these questions yourself in connection to someone in your family? When will you do it? Who will help you?