“How are they really doing, and do they want help?”  Whether we’re a parent, coach, supervisor, or anyone else in a position to take care of others, our first task is to assess their level of stress.  One of the ways we can do that fairly quickly is by their body language. Noticing how they physically respond to us (or not respond) can cue us to stay a while longer, to move on, or maybe to come back another time.

Consider the following discussion prompts and related Scripture passages.

• Proverbs 16:30-32 reminds us that body language can be subtle or blatant.  What are some other examples of both extremes?
• What did the posture of Gideon’s fighting men reveal in Judges 7:4-7?
• Even if we couldn’t hear what the two men were praying in Luke 18:9-14, what would their posture have communicated to us?
• Similarly, in John 13:23 what does John’s posture beside the Lord tell us about John’s heart towards Jesus?
• How did Jesus body language communicate His interest in others? (Matthew 5:1-2 and 8:1-3, Luke 18:16, John 4:1-5, etc.)
• What are some of the many different messages we see in body language and posture in Matthew 26:36-46?
• How many literal or figurative postures of worship do you see in Psalm 119, and what do each of these communicate to the Lord?
• In Luke 24:36-40 and John 20:24-29, what were some of the messages Jesus conveyed by His body language, and to what physical actions did He invite them?  What did this say about Thomas’ interest or stress versus Jesus’?

If you found this video to be helpful, you might also benefit from my article, 4 Areas of Counseling in Christ.  thoughts on the 12 times the book of Proverbs refers to a “person of understanding” in the series similarly named, Counseling as a Person of Understanding.

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