Decision Making

This past month God has challenged me with many decisions regarding my career. Like most women, I like to talk about these decisions with friends and family to gather their input and perspectives. As with all people’s perspectives, one must consider the source. I have found that when I chose to share information with those who were not Christ followers, the waters became murky and quite confusing, resulting in restless nights and feelings of confusion (not a good time!). Their words of doubt and disbelief would rattle through my head and I had to go back to God’s word for reassurance and direction.

God’s word clearly instructs us not to walk in the counsel of the wicked or to sit at the seat of scoffers (Psalm 1:1), yet I fell to this temptation in a big way … perhaps because I didn’t want to feel so alone in the decisions I had to make. What I found was that their words left me feeling more alone and confused than ever! My Christian friends were able to direct me clearly back to God’s word and show me attitudes and actions I could take that would align clearly with God’s promises of blessing. I can now stand firmly “like a tree standing by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither!” (Psalm 1: 3)

When I asked God to show me why He would allow those with misdirected words to come into my life, He seemed to show me that it was my own lack of boundaries. If I do not want to hear their opinion, then it might make sense for me not to ask them for it! (Duh, Sheryl!) Thank you, Lord, for the power of your word to clearly show us Your way.

Sheryl Patry