It’s 6:00 pm. You walk through the door from work. Whether you have a roommate, kids or a spouse, sometimes the last thing you want to do is talk. For some of you who have had a long day with housework and kids,6:00 pm hits, your spouse comes home and you have the desire to have a meaningful conversation.
No matter where you fall in this situation, it can be difficult to have meaningful conversations on a regular basis. Besides the stress of the day, we want to come home and unwind. Unwinding can look like a phone, Netflix or the 6 pm news.
Meaningful conversations matter not just for us personally, but to the people around us. Taking time to listen to what’s on their mind can create space for deeper connection. It can also become the place where we process our own day. Our relationships and daily conversations help us to see the day a little bit clearer.
Start by unplugging from your devices. As you sit with your spouse, kids, friends, or other family members, consider asking these three questions:
1. What was your high and low for today?
My wife Robyn started asking me this question at dinner when we got married. It allows you to pick out two moments and could open the door for other conversations. If you ask this question, take time to add follow-up questions to understand more.
2. When did you sense God today or this week?
We can run throughout the day going from appointment to appointment, class to class, or crisis to crisis. Towards the end of the day, it’s important to give yourself and the people you most care about an opportunity to see God at work. This question helps with gratitude and perceiving how God desires us to grow.
3. What do you look forward to this week?
Often, we can find ourselves in conversations that focus on the negative. Take a moment to venture into what’s going well. This question allows you to celebrate with a person. Take a moment to get excited with them.
Hopefully, these three questions will help you to have meaningful conversations. What questions might you add to this list? Share them in the comment section below.
Photo by Bryan Apen