Pick A Path
Anyway, the way that we are all approaching these decisions is widely varied.
- Some prefer to stay safe and stick with what they know. Security is crucial.
- Some are asking for a prophecy, a sign from God. Let Him figure it out.
- Some talk to friends and family, seeking advice. Let others weigh things.
- Some look at it rationally, the pros and cons. Let logic decide.
- Some are jumping in with both feet. Get going and sort out the details later.
I have a sneaking suspicion that something might be a little off in this process for many of us. Funny enough, I'm questioning how we decided to make our decision. Yes, we're earnest. Yes, we want to make the best choice. Yes, we're trying to be wise, and careful, and obediant, and loyal, and faithful, and considerate, and decisive, and...
That's just it. We're trying to be so many things. We're trying to fulfill some perceived quality for ourselves, for others or for God. All of those pieces can clutter up this puzzle that we're putting together. And even beyond that, we want to be 100% certain about our final decision. We all want to see the picture of the completed puzzle.
Life just isn't like that. God may direct us but he isn't a fortune teller. Others may advise us but they're not living our lives. We may want something but who can truly know their own heart? And instead of recognizing these limitations, we reach out for those methods that I mentioned above. We repeat them and repeat them, looking for some safety or assurance or peace.
What did I just say? Life isn't like that. These are crucial crossroads. These are significant choices. If there wasn't some level of fear and doubt, we wouldn't be so concerned about it. If it didn't present some major change for us, we would run ahead without a worry. If we were a hundred percent sure about our conclusions then we wouldn't be us. We would be God.
Life is messy. Not all of our decisions will work out perfectly, no matter how hard we try or how much we pray. We can't allow that to hold us back from choosing one of these branching roads. Likewise, we can't select a path flippantly just because it's hard to choose. The thing is, we need to trust in God in these things.
We're not trusting out of naivete or blind faith. We just do our best with what we have, make the decision and then place it in God's hands. If we make the right call, He will be with us. If we get it wrong, He'll be there to protect us and help us along. We're not going to get all of these right but we're not alone in this. God will work things out for our good.
8 comments:
So, you think that not all of our decisions will work out perfectly. Who's definition are you using? God takes all our decisions and works them out perfectly for His purpose. What may be seen as a mess to us may actually be His perfect intention.
Financial decisions, career moves, ministry opportunities -- all temporary. What's the worse that can happen if you go in the "wrong" direction? You'll recover. You'll learn. You'll grow.
What if your decisions are correct? What is a correct decision today may be totally wrong tomorrow. Life changes. We change. The Lord's Plan for our life changes too. If you told me 3 years ago that the Lord would be leading me so boldly and openly in my current direction today, I would have called you crazy. But here I am, scratching my head and wondering, why me as I follow His lead.
Family life changes too. We grow. We grow up.
Sherry
Exactly, Sherry, exactly.
I do think that we will make plenty of wrong decisions along the way, 'cause we're not God. Just look at Abraham, or Peter, or countless other people from the Bible. And some of those wrong decisions do have consequences.
Even so, we will see God's hand at work in our lives if we keep seeking Him. Nicely said.
Yesterday at Young Adults, someone had a vision/picture that relates to this. They described a ladder that reached up into the sky, and the top of the ladder was obscured by clouds.
Some people are afraid to climb that ladder because we don't know what is at the top. If we could see what's there then we would go up. God doesn't usually work that way, though. All he promises is that, once we get to the top, we'll discover an amazing place that is better than we could have imagined.
Perhaps seeing what's at the top will cause us to go up. Perhaps seeing will cause us to become overwhelmed by the greatness. Perhaps we would become frozen in our inadequency.
Think of the child stranded on a tree branch. His father stands at the foot of the tree with outstretched arms. If the child considers the dangerous fall, he will remain clinging to the branch. But he only sees his father and he leaps into waiting arms. Sometimes, we need to leap without analyzing the consequences. Let Him who sees the whole picture worry about catching us.
Let God be the one to be concerned as to the success or failure of our decisions. Our only job is to keep our eyes fixed on Him and remain faithful. Then, He will use our decisions to His purpose.
As for our seeing His purpose ... not always. Sometimes He hides the purpose from us. Why do we sometimes hear Him unmistakenly and hear nothing but silence other times? Trust? Immaturity? or None of our business? We just need to be grateful for the purposes we think we see and accept He may be giggling over our mis-interpretations.
Sorry ... forget to add my name in the above comment. It's me again ... Sherry.
In my life I've made some very risky decisions and some very safe decisions. In the end, things always work out very nicely and life goes on. I know that when there is a fork in the road, both paths will probably work out in the end or at least everything will be okay regardless, but I choose the path that 'feels' right at the time. In the past often what felt right would be that which could lead to the most opportunity. Now, things have changed and I'm looking for stability and security because other people are involved. Being single I made far riskier decisions than I do now. Probably that is the case with most people.
Good often refers to our personal happiness, financial advancement, etc. But the good that God would want us to abide in is much deeper and longer lasting (eternal). Becoming more like Jesus through each and every experience that touches our lives. The only failure that is truly a failure is one in which we have not grown in understanding ourselves, others, or God.
Our successes test us, but our failures teach us.
Verse 29 is often neglected in understanding God's idea of "good".
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined [to] [be] conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
David
Lori: I agree most people make decisions based on stability and security. We need to take those we love into account when making decisions -- to a certain extent.
I have a child with a disability. There are some situations that are totally beyond her capabilities to handle. That influences some decisions.
BUT ... we can't let our desire for stability or security intefere with God's plan for us. When He says do it, we need to obey. I have many friends who have made very unwise decisions (in others' opinions). They have sold possessions, homes, packed up and left for the mission field with children in tow. They walked into dangerous places with these children -- bombs exploding just miles from their home, lives threatened, etc. All have one thing in common ... when they got home, they had no regrets. How many have either regretted taking the safe path or wished they had taken Robert Frost's road less taken?
True, God doesn't send all of us out on the OFFICIAL mission field, but we can't be afraid of that career change, that financial risk, that new relationship. If it is in God's Plan for us, we need to be obedient and follow ... even if we appear to be foolish to others.
David: I saw a church sign that said: Crisis builds character. It also reveals it.
Sherry
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