I have decided that I do not like making decisions

Posted by Alan Knox on Feb 8, 2012 in discipleship, personal | 5 comments

A few days ago, I entered the title of this post as my Facebook status: I have decided that I do not like making decisions.

Many of my Facebook friends know that I like to enter humorous quips like this as my status, so we had a great time bantering about this one.

Many of my real life friends knew that I was actually facing a major decision. In fact, many knew that this was the cause of the stress in my life that I wrote about a few weeks ago.

In fact, this was a major decision that I wanted to make. I had been praying for this decision in general for a few years now and praying for this decision specifically for a few months. Many of my friends knew about this and had been praying with me.

Since last fall, I had been working towards this decision and fighting for the opportunity. I knew which decision I wanted to make, even though it would mean a huge life change for myself and my family and probably many of my friends as well.

But, when the decision actually presented itself, it was not as cut and dry as I had hoped. And, I was given a deadline. I had to make a final decision in less than 48 hours.

I weighed both options. There were pros and cons to each direction. Unfortunately, the decision that I had been working toward – the decision that I wanted to make – was not as obvious to me as I had hoped it would be.

I began to wonder, “Is this a difficulty that I should continue walking through – like a test of faith – or is it a road block that God is using to stop me from going in this direction?”

I had no direct revelation from God about this decision (although I believe that he could have directly told me which decision to make if he had wanted to). Of course, it was also possible that God was trying to tell me which decision to make but I was not paying attention to him.

So, I talked with my friends. All of these people knew me and knew my family. They knew how God had been working in our lives. They knew our struggles, and they knew why I had been working up to the point of making this decision.

Some of my friends offered additional information that I had not considered. Others offered new perspectives. Some simply allowed me to voice my issues with each decision… listening is a powerful gift. They also gave me advice. I’m so glad that God has placed people like this in my life.

I made a decision. Did I make the “right” decision? I don’t know if there was a “right” decision in this case, although, like I said, it was a huge potentially life-changing decision. I know that I and my family are at peace with this decision. I knew that I trust God in making this decision, and I would have trusted God is making the opposite decision. I know that he is with me – regardless of which decision I had made.

Decisions. Sometimes God makes it clear which decision he wants us to make. That doesn’t mean that decision is easy, though.

Sometimes, God does not make it clear which decision he wants us to make. What do we do when we have to make a decision anyway? Well, in my case, I continue to seek God, and I seek the counsel of the godly men and women who God has placed in my life… real life people who know me and my family and my struggles and my victories and my strengths and my weaknesses.

God often communicates through these people who truly are brothers and sisters to me and my family.

What do you do when you are forced to make a decision, but God has not directly made the direction clear?