Have you ever noticed how a truly great question can change everything? In this episode, Valerie takes us to one of her favorite scenes in the Gospels, the Pool of Bethesda in John 5, where Jesus asks a man who'd been sick for thirty-eight years a question that still confronts us today: Do you want to get well? Drawing on Scripture, neuroscience, and her own story of learning to answer that question after the loss of her two children, Valerie unpacks why we so often stay stuck in what's familiar, even when it isn't good for us, and what it actually means to choose healing and wholeness when it's offered.

In This Episode, You'll Hear:

• Why a truly great question can change a conversation and why Jesus asked so many of them.
• The story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda and the question Jesus asked to challenge him.
• Why "Do you want to get well?" isn’t always a simple question to answer.
• What neuroplasticity reveals about why your brain defaults to the familiar, even when familiar is unhealthy.
• Valerie's own story of being confronted with the question, ‘Do you want to get well?’ after losing her children, Tyler and Hailey.
• The three-part command Jesus gives the man that required active participation in the process.
• The difference between agency and control, and why healing is not passive.
• How answering this question means freedom from the places we feel stuck.

Scripture Referenced: John 5:1–9 (CSB, NLT, NIV)

Going Deeper: John 9:1:12 | Philippians 2:12–13 | James 2: 14-26 | Galatians 5: 15, 25

Featured Quote: "You don't have to stay stuck. You get to choose."

Learn More:

• On the power of a good question, drawing on peer-reviewed research, from Association of Psychological Science: "Asking Questions Increases Likability."
• On neuroplasticity and why staying stuck feels safer than change from the Cleveland Clinic: "Brainwork: The Power of Neuroplasticity."
• The Biblical Archeological Society on the history of the Pool of Bethesda: "The Bethesda Pool, Site of One of Jesus' Miracles"
• Modern day photos of the excavated site of the Pool: HolyLandPhotos.org — Pools of Bethesda

Mentioned in This Episode: The Leading Brave Group Experience is Valerie's 8-week live group coaching experience for Christian women ready to trade overthinking and self-doubt for clarity, courage, and confidence. Doors are open now through September 20th for the Fall cohort. Learn more here.

Connect with Valerie: Website | Instagram: @purposeprojectcoach

Support the Show: https://www.thepurposeproject.us/support

About the Podcast: The Purpose Project Podcast is for Christian women leaders navigating the messy middle — the space where expectations and reality don't line up, but God is still present. Host Valerie Jones creates thoughtful, faith-rooted conversations where biblical truth, emotional health, and spiritual growth belong together for life and leadership.

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