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Decisions. They’re part of our daily makeup. From the time we rise until the time we tumble into bed, we make roughly 35,000 of them, experts say!
When you need to make a decision that’s small
Do I get up now or hit snooze?
Do I drink coffee or eat fruit loops first?
To make the bed or fire off an email?
Should I wash my hair or dry shampoo?
What to wear?
Where to put the worn-but-not-dirty-clothes-worthy stack?
What to fix for dinner?
And these are the simple choices!
Speaking of choices, check out the 31-Days to a Clutter-free Mind Challenge for focus and clarity this year!
Minimalists suggest paring down the wardrobe, only keeping the basics to mix and match; eating the same breakfast each day; keeping the same evening routine. These small choices save brain space for tougher things in life.
Right now, all of that sounds good to me!
And what about the big decisions?
When you need to make a decision that’s big
Selling homes
Moving cross-country
Switching schools
Elderly care
Childcare
It’s not easy making decisions that chart the course of not only our future but that of our children.
Bob Goff says, “The battles for our hearts are fought on the pages of our calendars.”
Our calendars reflect our heart decisions.
While God’s Word, prayer, and the counsel of the Holy Spirit and wise believers are the ultimate plumb line for decision making, we often overlook one simple solution:
What is right in front of you?
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Visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads
We tend to think grandeur thoughts like, “What if I was an astronaut”, or, “Maybe I should start 5 DIY blogs on how to install shiplap”.
And while running 5 shiplap blogs is a little overkill and you will most certainly kill yourself doing it, we like to dream, don’t we?
There’s nothing wrong with dreaming. Dreams give us hope. But sometimes?
Sometimes the answer is right in front of us when we need to make a decision.
When I first encountered the empty nest, I didn’t know what to do with myself or which way to turn. (I started out the window and watched football of all things.) I couldn’t make a decision on the next step in life.
Last week in my new Pray Your List course, I shared my testimony on Day 5: Mompreneurs:
“Many times, God leads us to take action on life-long passions. My passion was motherhood. I always wanted to be a mom and didn’t really care if I did anything else (once I graduated college).
When the kiddos moved away, a great void filled my soul.
I realized God was asking me to step out with my blog (up until then, it was basically a family journal; humorous escapades of day to day life).
As I finally said “yes” to God’s call, I waited in prayer and read through the Bible. I journaled and blogged about what I read.
Slowly, bit by bit, He directed me to my blog mentor, Arabah Joy. Slowly, God turned my writing to my passion – motherhood. Moms began following me.”
The obvious answer; how to make a decision
My answer to “What should I do now?” was, “Look right in front of you!”
Even when we see the answers, the tough part is taking action. We’re not sure how to go about the next step. That was my problem, after realizing what God wanted. But by taking action on the first steps (writing again), God leads me to the next steps!
All because I made time each day to sit at Jesus’ feet.
If you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
Proverbs 2:3-4, ESV
This decision-making process isn’t easy. Proverbs 2:3 indicates actively searching for God’s wisdom is the key to finding it.
What decision are you trying to make today?
Are you trying to change something? Run away from something? Get out of a situation?
God has you right where you are for a reason. Before you run, look where you are. Ask God, “What am I supposed to learn from this? Why am I in this situation right now?”
Your life is not a haphazard display of disconnected circumstances. Rather, it is a divine appointment for God’s direction. He’s trying to show you right now.
Do you want to make a decision but you don’t know what God wants:
What is right in front of you?
Do you need to make a decision?
Thanks for thinking all this through and sharing hope.
I’ve been guilty in the past of complicating my life by waiting for sky writing from God when He wants me to use the resources He’s given me to follow a sensible path and trust Him for the outcome.
Haven’t we all, Michelle! God has so much more for us if we’ll just move instead of deliberating over every.little.thing.!!
Man, YES. We were just talking with our college group at church yesterday about this very thing. How do we make decisions when we don’t KNOW what God wants? Some things God commands us very clearly to do, but other things aren’t as cut & dry. I’ll definitely take your thoughts back to them next week. Thanks, Ruthie!
Hey Laura – awesome! I’m so glad you found it helpful. Decisions are hard, but sometimes we make it harder than necessary! 🙂
Great advice, Ruthie: sit at Jesus’ feet and look right in front of you. Sometimes I complicate the simplest things. Thanks for breaking it down for me, my friend.
Oh man so do I. OVERTHINKERS UNITE!!! Lol. So I’m basically preaching this to myself too. Hugs, Marva! <3
Great words of hope, Ruthie!
So practical.
Do the next thing. Do what God has for you today!
Love this!
Sharing it all around…
Blessings,
Melanie
We often forget this simple truth, don’t we? Thanks so much, friend. You’re awesome! <3
Hey, Ruthie! I feel like you wrote this straight to me! I’m a mama blogger, in the beginning(ish), still feeling pretty inadequate and like I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m trying to learn how to do this thing well, define my audience, expand my following, and monetize. I’m working from home, distance schooling my two preschoolers with a one year old, as well. I’ve been feeling stretched thin and overwhelmed not knowing how to get all the things done and kind of lost in how to do better in my blog. I think I try to do too many things at once and overwhelm myself. Thanks for speaking hope into me today! <3
Girl, I get it! In my early blogging days, it took a long time to get clear on exactly what to do instead of throwing ALL the spaghetti. LOL. I do believe moms of littles have to really be intentional to scale down what “THEY” say you should do in light of your family. I hope you signed up for my newsletter because I give lots of decision tips and wisdom in there as well as video and social media tips! Good luck!