Movers, Shakers, and Decision Makers
/When it comes to making decisions, there are a few different types of people:
1. The Decision Makers - as made obvious by the name, these are the people who have no problem making decisions. Aside from the normal amount of discomfort that accompanies decision making, they experience very little additional anxiety.
2. The Opportunity Costers* - opportunity cost is an economic term that refers to the principle that you must give something up in order to gain something else. These are the people who get anxiety from decisions because of the fear that they'll miss out on whatever they don't choose. They're scared that if they pick the wrong thing, the entire trajectory of their life will be thrown off.
*Is this a word? No. But I just made it one. Boom.
3. The Survey Takers - this group is prone to being overly concerned with the opinions of others. When it comes to making decisions (especially big ones), they don't move forward without first getting the opinions of others.
I fall somewhere in between the Opportunity Costers and the Survey Takers. When I have to make a decision, I panic (like really panic). I worry that if I make the wrong decision, I'll miss out on what God has in store for me. On top of that, I worry about disappointing the people around me if I do the wrong thing. People say "you made your bed, now lie in it," and it absolutely terrifies me.
What if I make the bed the wrong way?
This fear often prevents me from making decisions altogether, which is neither healthy nor productive. My inability to make decisions has really been taking a toll on me lately, but the other day God placed something on my heart and everything suddenly made sense.
What did He place on my heart, you ask?
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.
When I was little, I read a book series about a woman named Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, who had the cure for every "ailment" a child could have. From not bathing to eating too slowly, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle knew exactly what to do. One of my favorite books of the series was the one where she helps a girl learn how to make her bed. The girl had no idea how to do it the right way, which left her parents displeased. To fix the problem, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle dressed like a witch and teased the girl (in a nice way, don't worry) until she learned to make her bed with absolutely no wrinkles.
At first I was confused as to why this popped into my head (other than to bring about fond childhood memories), when suddenly, it clicked.
No matter what you do, how badly you mess up, no matter how many times, there's absolutely nothing you can do that will ruin God's plan for your life if you're following Him.
Don't get me wrong - you can certainly get off track. However, if you're genuinely trying to follow God's plan for your life and you're just worried about how to get where He needs you to be (like me!), I've got some good news for you: God already knows all of the decisions you're going to make, good and bad. You can't do anything to surprise God - which is such a relief.
If God already knows all the decisions you're going to make, don't you think that He's already worked out a plan to get you to where you need to be?
Shortly after Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, another thing popped into my head - one of my favorite verses, Proverbs 3:6:
"In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Click!
Okay, I hear you Jesus.
The cool thing about God is that He is overflowing with love. He doesn't sit up in heaven and move us around like puppets on strings, nor does He just sit back and let us ruin our lives without interjecting. Instead, He is like Mrs. Piggle Wiggle - if He sees you attempting to make the bed, He is going to honor you for trying -
and if you mess it up, He'll help you remake the bed.
What I've realized is that God honors motion. If your heart is in the right place when you're making a decision, it truly doesn't matter what you choose - God already has it all worked out. He will direct you in the way you need to go. There is absolutely nothing you can do that will ruin His grand plan.
So, breathe.
You don't have to worry about making the "wrong" decision as long as you're putting in the effort to move yourself forward. You can't just stay in neutral and not make any decisions because they're "hard" - it's difficult for God to purpose an object that's not in motion. Think of the Israelites in Exodus for example - God brought them to the promise land, but they were too scared to step into it. They took one look at all of the giants in the land and decided not to trust that God had already worked everything out in their favor.
Don't be like the Israelites.
Stop worrying about all of the "what if's" and hold onto the fact that Jesus has already worked out every single little detail of every situation you'll be in.
This doesn't go to say that if you find yourself faced with a big decision you should just choose a random one and go with it. What I'm saying is that if you're genuinely trying to follow the path that God wants for you, and you've prayed about it but haven't got an answer, then maybe you need to consider the idea that His silence is your answer.
Maybe He's turning you into a decision maker.
Stop procrastinating because you're scared of choosing the wrong thing.
God already has this all worked out.
So, take a deep breath and take a leap of faith.
Even if He's silent, He'll be with you every step of the way -
and He's waiting to catch you on the other side.
Oh, and one more thing -
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).
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Songs to empower you on your decision-making journey:
Oceans (I know - a classic!) - Hillsong United
Fearless - Jasmine Murray
Never Gone - Colton Dixon
You Make Me Brave (Live) - Amanda Cook, Bethel Music
Hurricane - Natalie Grant
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xo
@thelightclctive