Welcome friends! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog! I am so glad you are here!
Have you ever had to defend a choice you made? Why did you choose this? Why didn’t you choose that? It forces you to be mindful of what you are doing. Why did I do that anyway?
My husband and I actually recorded a CampTown Hall podcast called the Great Debate. Isn’t the artwork cute? Don’t fret, it’s not political! We looked at the great debates over the years (Coke vs. Pepsi, Mayo vs Miracle Whip, etc.) Growing up my parents usually made these choices for me based on the products they bought at the grocery store. They loved Miracle Whip…I do not. As an adult, I was able to figure out for myself what I preferred. Do I like this or that?
In fact, let’s play a round of THIS or THAT?
Mornings or Nights
Pancakes or Waffles
Tea or Coffee
Beaches or Mountains
Sneakers or Heels
Cake or Ice Cream
Gold or Silver
Cats or Dogs
Not too hard right? I bet you flew through those choices. Want to know my answers?
Like most people, I have choices I make that I am passionate about and would even encourage other people to make the same choice. Other choices…meh. I don’t always care what we eat for dinner or what we do on date night. I am fine to let someone else decide that for me. I can easily suffer from decision fatigue when I have too many choices to make…like the menu at Cheesecake Factory, it looks like a chapter book. It takes me forever to make a choice.
If you are one of those decisive people who can make choices quickly, I applaud you. I am not. I read restaurant menus in full, look at reviews online before buying a product, and check out what brands users on Pinterest prefer when it comes to beauty and skincare products. Anyone with me?
Some choices are easy…do I want a cookie or asparagus? Always choose the cookie! But some choices are much harder…do I choose this job or that job? Do I want to go to this school or that school? Is this the person I should spend the rest of my life with? I get it. I wish all choices came with glimpses into the future so we could see the consequences of our decision. However, that doesn’t happen.
I do know that trusting and walking with the Lord takes a ton of pressure off my decision making. God is the giver of all wisdom, and He wants to give us as much wisdom as we need.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
James 1:5 (NLT)
For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:6 (NLT)
Here is my checklist for making all major decisions.
1. Pray
I ask God to give me wisdom and insight into the decision. I pray for knowledge and for direction. I even pray that the wrong choice becomes very obvious and I won’t be able to have that as an option.
2. Fast
Fasting is often refraining from food or drink but can be avoiding media, entertainment or other pleasures for a season. It helps us remove distractions from our lives and intensify our focus on hearing from the Lord. Fasting helps align our will to God’s will for our lives.
One day as they were worshiping God—they were also fasting as they waited for guidance—the Holy Spirit spoke…
Acts 13:2 (MSG)
Paul and Barnabas handpicked leaders in each church. After praying—their prayers intensified by fasting—they presented these new leaders to the Master to whom they had entrusted their lives.
Acts 14:23 (MSG)
3. Seek Wise Counsel
Talk your options out with your spouse, a trusted friend, or a family member. Someone you know will give you good counsel and won’t just tell you what you want to hear. Hear them out and allow your heart to be open to what they have to say.
4. Move Where There Is Peace
Peace is the trump card. If you have peace about a choice, even if it does not make any sense at all…then move where there is peace. Sometimes God is leading in a new and untraveled direction. It may not make sense to you, but follow God’s peace. If you don’t feel a peace about a choice, chances are it is not the right choice for you.
Have you had to make a hard decision before? What is the checklist for your decision-making process? Let me know in the comments below. I am looking forward to connecting with you!
Many blessings,
Kim
One last this or that! Which doughnut would you choose?
Want to know some more things I like and don’t like, check out 18 fun facts about me.