Yes, No, Maybe

“Hurry, Daniel. Your Dad’s waiting in the truck for us,” I said to my eight year old who was agonizing over which candy-bar to pick out at the convenience store where we had stopped. For fear of being disappointed with the choice he’d make, his decisions always proved very time-consuming. What if he picked out the Heath and then, once in the truck, got a craving for peanuts and wished he’d picked the Snickers or the Salted Peanut Roll? I’m sure he and I were dangerously close to being left at the store more than once.

Sometimes, adults have no easier time with decisions than Daniel did; me included. In my late forties, I struggled with whether to apply for a mid-management job in nursing. It would mean more pay, more meetings, less time on the floor taking care of patients and less strain physically. The problem was…I was good at what I did and I enjoyed taking care of people. Still, the increased pay would be welcomed, not to mention no more nights or weekends. I applied after weeks of thinking about it, praying about it, and agonizing about it. What if this wasn’t the right decision? And what if it wasn’t God’s will for me? How was I supposed to know God’s will when He wasn’t responding to my pleas for direction?

As it turned out, it may have been the right decision for a short time. I learned a great deal in mid-management. I became efficient at making out schedules, putting out fires, and increasing diplomacy while serving on various committees. But, I missed the interaction with patients and the comradeship of peers. After a year, I decided “money isn’t everything” and I returned to floor nursing.

As I have matured in my Christian walk and have thought back about the angst I felt when trying to make “the right” decision, I don’t think God had a preference which one I chose. I have come to accept that He doesn’t always make it plain, no matter how much we would like Him to. There may be multiple choices, and it just might be, that He can be okay with any of them. Somewhere along the line we’ve gotten the idea that God’s will involves one choice and that’s it. No wonder we get in a dither about making that “right” decision. If we are walking with Him and He feels a certain decision we are making would be a “wrong choice” for us, the Holy Spirit will let us know, providing we are listening with our hearts.

If we never step out in faith when we are trying to decide on something, will our faith ever grow? But if we trust in God, we can be sure He will use whatever choice we make to teach us and grow us, and He will not waste it…even if we fail. Isn’t this a reassuring thought? It makes making decisions a lot less daunting.

I like this quote from Lysa TerKeurst, president of Proverbs 31 Ministries: My imperfections will never override God’s promises. God’s promises are not dependent on my ability to always choose well, but rather on His ability to use well.

If we will remember Romans 8:28 ( a wonderful promise) we will reduce our stress levels. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. If we love Him that permits us to claim that promise.

That computes into less stress and that is always welcomed around my campfire.

Until next month – keep on readin’ and I’ll keep on writin’.