One of my dad’s favorite game shows was Let’s Make A Deal with Monty Hall. “Door #1, Door #2, or wait, you can have the contents in my left jacket pocket!”
My dad would sit on the edge of his seat, and in mimicking fashion, I would as well. Choices! There could be a car behind Door #1, a vacation behind Door #2, or there could be something not good like a junk yard. And then there’s the left jacket pocket! Once a man pulled out $1000.00. My mom would nibble on her finger nails. “Howard, what would you do?” she’d asked, never taking her gaze off the television.
For the most part, people dislike choices. There seems to be such anxiety surrounding the phrase, “What should I do?” Even the sound of it can make a stomach flip. The root of it all comes from a deep fear of making the “wrong” choice and also assuring the choice is the “best” one or the “right” one.
My daughter and I have a standing dinner date once a week. Because she works late on the same night I work late, its easy to meet up. I look forward to it every week, just to catch up, and just to reconnect. We were at our favorite restaurant but for whatever reason, she was having a tough time deciding what she wanted. Everything looked so good. Isn’t that just like life?
Sometimes we are faced with life choices. There’s no Chapter in the Bible regarding, “How to find God’s purpose in your life.” There’s no parable about how to pick the right job, or the perfect mate, or how many children one should have. Jesus doesn’t discuss career options or college choices or if we should travel here or there.
Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
1 Corinthians 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
James 1:5, “ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Philippians 1:9-10, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”
When my children were little, I taught them early to order off a menu. I very rarely chose their dinner. The same with clothes. I wanted them to be able to choose what they wanted to wear each day. I wanted to teach them to make wise choices and the only way to do that was to give them practice.
The next time you need to make a decision, try asking God for wisdom to make the best choice. Ask God to give you clarity and discernment. When we are walking with God, we do not have to fear making the wrong decision because He gives us the assurance that even if we walk down the wrong path, as long as we are walking with the right heart, God’s will is being done. His will for my life and yours has to do more with the person we are than the choice we make. If we are walking in the character of Jesus Christ, our choices will be in line with God.
