In times like these, we face many decisions, and many of them are quite difficult. What do we cut from the budget? If there isn’t much to cut from the budget, how do we move forward? What job do I take? If I’m unhappy at my job, do I take a risk in moving on? Do I hold out in the market, or start pulling out? Of course, many of our decisions go far beyond money. Many of our decisions are about family or friends, or even matters that are far smaller than that, but nonetheless, important to us.
There are many hard decisions we make and I know I’ve been trying to make some of them myself lately. In fact, I’m still in the middle of some. That’s why these words from F. Eppling Reinartz came of comfort to me as I read them. Enjoy.
“Christians don’t find it easier to reach vital decisions than do others. Oh no! But our religion does give us insight and guidance which help us when, lacking them, we would find our thinking at a dead end. For example, a Christian is humble in the presence of a decision. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. He knows that a yes or no from him will not change the order of the universe. So long as his heart is fixed on obedience to God he knows tha his wrong choices will be overruled by an all wise and just Providence. And what of the right choices? No use boasting about them. They are God’s gift. . . . .
God does not demand that our choice of roads be made only from the signposts seen at a given intersection. He goes far beyond that. He supplies us with a reliable sense of spiritual direction. The fixed intentions of Jesus Christ control the path His followers elect. He reminds us of mountain peaks and stars by which He has taught us to guide. He encourages us to look back over our years to see among them the past providences which clarify present choices.
I cherish the memory of a friend of mine who insisted that the Spirit of God does His most helpful work with our minds when we are asleep. He maintained that when our conscious mind surrenders control, then the Mind of God can go to work on all the snarled and fouled lines of our thought and feeling and lay them clear. Said he, ‘When a Christian, facing a decision, says, ‘I’ll sleep over it.’ he means, ‘I’ll surrender this all quitely to God through the night.”’ You may be sure that whether that surrender is made while waking or sleeping, it gets results.”
So let’s all take this as encouragement to sleep on it, take ourselves a little less seriously, and most of all- trust that God will work all things to our good as long as we keep our eyes set on Jesus (Rom. 8:28)
Tags: decisions, financial crisis