Ask, Seek, Knock

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”—Matthew 7:7, NIV

Children are good at asking questions: “Where is God?” “Why are peaches fuzzy?” “What are those green things on the bread?” We are born with an innate desire to understand our world. Properly focused, good questions provide new information and ideas and assure continuing growth. Conversely, failing to ask questions stifles one’s growth.

In Disciple Development Coaching©, the first step in the process is “Ask.” The coach does the asking, but only as a surrogate for the client—the person being coached. The asking that the coach does is not for his or her own acquisition of knowledge, but to encourage the client to reflect upon and understand personal strengths, values, and goals. The coach wants the person being coached to have a conversation with himself or herself, perhaps putting into words some things that the client has never considered before. As one client said to me, “Once I put that (her career dream) into words, it suddenly became real and now I have to deal with it.”

The coach is not asking questions out of simple curiosity to advance his or her knowledge. The coach asks questions for the sake of the person being coached. As the client responds, new doors are opened.

These may be doors of service, spiritual growth, or professional development.

A good coach encourages the client to ask, seek, and knock by modeling those practices.

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