Life is made up of a series of decisions (at least it feels a lot like that for our family lately). With every step and turn, it seems like the next decision has to be made. Whether it’s small decision like, Do I get the usual or splurge on a venti coffee today? or something more potentially life-altering like what career will I choose or how do we plan to educate our children? In the end, life is just a big ol’ heaping spoonful of decisions. So how do we deal with this? More importantly, how would Christ deal with this? Well, let’s consider the life-focus of Jesus that served as a backdrop for all of His decisions. Here’s a round up from scripture:
“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what his Father is doing.” (John 5:19)
“By myself I can do nothing,…I seek not to please myself, but him who sent me.” (John 5:30)
“When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own…for I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:28-29)
“For I did not speak on my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it…so whatever I say is what the Father has told me to say.” (John 12:49-50)
So to put it simply, Jesus did what pleased the Father. That sounds easy enough right? Well, sometimes it isn’t. If you’re facing a major decision, I feel your pain and would like to offer some simple steps/questions to help guide you through the decision:
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Seek God First.
It’s easy to start with a list of pros/cons or get advice from others. Ultimately, if you’re making the decision to honor God and his will for you, then you have to start here. Do your best to listen and not just have a one way petition to God. In this process make sure your decision will be in line with God’s word (the Bible). This would be a good time to put on your old WWJD bracelet and ask yourself, What Would Jesus Do? 😉
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Will the outcome of this decision ultimately produce good results?
Sometimes your decision-maker can be as simple as this: Will this decision be good for me and my family? In this process make sure have all the facts and stay open to other ideas. Sometimes the most difficult choices in life aren’t between wrong and right, but choices of what is good and what is best? However, what may seem like the good or best thing isn’t always the wise thing to do. Which leads to my next thought…
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Is this the wise thing to do?
Sometimes what seems like a good thing isn’t always the wise thing to do. Our pastor, Carl Nichols, describes this well. In a previous message he challenged us to ask: In light of my past successes and failures and my future hopes and dreams, is this the wise thing to do? What is wise for me may not be wise for you. Run everything through the filter of you own circumstances. Once you’ve processed the decision thoroughly on your own, it’s always a good idea to seek wise counsel.
So you’re ready to make a decision now, right??? I hope it’s that easy for you, but like the rest of the human population, you will likely struggle back and forth for days, weeks, even months. Just remember, you’re not alone.
