Choices, Choices
Did you know we make around 35 thousand choices each day? Choices like taking a sip of water or picking what socks to wear really add up! However, those kinds of thought processes may seem minuscule to us if we compare them to choosing between options when making a high-priced purchase, or whether or not a certain job opportunity should be pursued. Or maybe it could be deciding on what aspect of your life you'll focus on improving/altering in a season.
When thinking about weighty decisions like such, some of us struggle with feelings of anxiety, worry, and fear. They may slip into our thought lives due to heavy concerns about making the right choice. Whether the decision only affects ourselves, people we love, or others, it's a decision we believe we can only get right or wrong and the results cannot be easily taken back--if at all. Take note, though, that sometimes we make the error of believing some decisions are more pivotal than they truly are, and we give them too much power over us.
We have to choose our words, and they hold power. We daily have to choose Jesus as our Lord -- our most important decision -- and He is ALL powerful! That is to say: many choices we make have weight and we should always seek to choose things wisely; things as small as individual words can seem, and something as BIG as our God is. However, we have to gain wisdom to understand that many choices should not debilitate us with fear or cause mind-consuming worry, and we need discernment to decipher what choices require more energy.
Practically, our trouble could come from us holding onto a notion that there's only one right answer... "There is one perfect option to choose, and if I don't get it right my life will go downhill or be detoured, significantly!" is a more or less exaggerated version of how we might think. But often we are given choices and we should simply choose a good one. If you're arguing with this, take a look at the Word: our undeniable source.
Read about Paul persuading married and unmarried believers in 1 Corinthians 7
This writing encourages believers to consider the pros and cons of becoming married or staying unmarried. He does this in the case of someone becoming a widow or widower as well as for those who have never been married. The Lord holds marriage highly and even speaks of the Church as Christ's bride, which is a beautiful depiction of love, and even more so when it's understood in depth. Marriage is not just a symbol, but it has great purpose in the Kingdom and great joy can be found in such a covenant.
Still, Paul's persuasion on staying unmarried is spoken from experience and inspiration from the Holy Spirit (v 40). His choice is not one to be looked down upon; his choice is good. Paul's persuasion is even encouraging for those who feel led to stay unmarried. In both instances of being married and unmarried, great work can be done in the Kingdom! Both choices are good and must be decided on with God's guidance.
Read about Solomon choosing wisdom in 1 Kings 3:1-15
There are countless good things that Solomon could have asked for. Can you think of a few things you'd ask God for to benefit your household or something you steward? How about peace for your generations to come or abounding love for your relationships?
But Solomon was still so greatly in the will of God, that he was awarded more than he asked for! We want to seek wisdom and to be in God's will in this way.
Read about Jesus choosing to perform His first public miracle in John 2:1-12
Recently, I pondered why Jesus performed this miracle, while He said in verse 4 that "[His] hour [had] not yet come." I look back on this query and know that the choice Jesus made to perform this miracle at that time was good, and there is peace in that. Sometimes that's all it takes to choose something: knowing that it's good.
However, there are also times when it's clear one decision is better than another, like Mary choosing to sit at the Lord's feet while Martha worked in Luke 10:38-42. Read what Jesus said! Mary chose the good part, to learn at his feet, and He even made sure that it would not be taken from her. How good God is!
If different situations like this exist, how do we know which kind of choices are in front of us? How exactly do we choose a good one?
Well, look back at that truth we’ve seen:
We have to gain wisdom and discernment to decipher what choices require more energy and know that it shouldn't cause worry or fear.
Solomon chose wisdom after having reasoning to, and he benefited greatly
Paul taught from experience and by the Holy Spirit
The right choice for Mary and Martha was to gain what they could from the Word
It would seem that mulling over our decisions truly is important, yet above all, we should be seeking our Father's wisdom when making them. To have real wisdom is to reverence God (Prov 1:7), and naturally, we will seek guidance from those we deeply respect! God deserves our highest reverence and we should seek Him first on all matters. Especially matters of the heart and of desires!
Yes, even when deciding on what we want to ask and pray for, we should be consulting God. In this, let's remember that God hears us and grants our desires according to His will. One thing I like to pray is that God would transform my heart's desires to be as His desires for me -- this way we will be in one accord (Psalm 37:4 & 1 John 5:14-15).
(The Following Verses) Look at Jeremiah 17:5-13. v9 says the heart is deceitful and v10 says only God can search our hearts. God can also make our hearts clean (Psalm 51:10)! vv5-6 in Jeremiah 17 teach that when we trust in our flesh, we are unable to see when good comes. So let's trust in God so that we can make good choices when they are presented to us. Proverbs 3:5-8 bring even more clarity and confirmation that we must acknowledge God and trust His guidance rather than resort to our own thinking. The Bible also tells us His thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Here, we have so many reasons to go to God with our decision-making process, but there are even more!
Know and understand this: the Lord not only can help you deal with every decision and issue of life, but our God wants to. Do you know that there is no good thing He wouldn't do for His people? He is proven to be faithful to generations, so why would He not be faithful to pay attention to your every day? Deuteronomy 7:9, Psalm 33:4, Numbers 23:19. His Word is true. With Him, you have nothing to fear and nothing to worry over.
Since that's true, let's do everything with Him! 😄
We know by now that the gate to damnation is wide, and there must be many different ways we could get there with bad choices. When it comes to choosing a door to get into Heaven, I hope you'll choose The Right One TM, which is Jesus Christ! For other things, we must get connected to that Savior and learn to make good choices. Not every decision puts The Right One TM on the line. So let's get in the Word, learn about our Holy Father, His Son, and His Spirit, and we'll find out how to choose good ones... no trademark!
Peace be with you
❤️