Choices are for Choosy People (Part 2)

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19

The Message (MSG)

16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.

So you chose the wrong size shirt, take it back and exchange it.  Did not get want you wanted for Christmas? Take it to the store and return it.  Made a mistake and bought the wrong size light bulbs…return them.  Almost any simple choice we make can be fixed but what if we make a life choice that was bad?  How do we fix that?  Perhaps the better questions is how can we prevent a wrong choice in the first place?  In the last blog, I discussed how our lives are planned out and we need to use God to connect the dots, this simply means:  The difference between a good choice and a bad one is prayer.  Prayer is often the one thing that will make a difference in your life and lead you in the right direction every time.

When I chose to divorce my husband, it was not easy.  I did not just wake up one day and say that I was ready for divorce, it was a three year process.  It was a three year journey with God that brought me to that choice.  I won’t bore you with the details of 3 years, but let’s just say, it took patience to wait.  It took dying to self to make it through.  It took daily prayer.  I told God I would stick it out and He said He would never leave me and we both clung to our promises.  In the end, it was a 3 day wrestle with God that led me to the choice of divorce.  I made it very clear that I was surrendered to His will and I would stay if that was the next dot.  When I heard and felt the release to divorce, I trusted God had a plan and I moved on to the next dot.

Here is the part of my new story that makes me laugh and confirms that God has a sense of humor.  If we chose Jesus as our savior and friend then we have to trust in His ways, right?  Well, shortly after I felt released to divorce I told God that I was done with men in my life.  I wanted to publish my books and travel.  I told God this several times and I made it clear that would make me happy.  Well, of course, as usual, God had different plans for my next dot…a new husband.

When I first began to see what God was up to, I was in denial.  “How can this be?” I asked God, “This is not what I agreed to.  I wanted to travel.  I can handle this on my own.”  Nope.  Not happening.  Soon I was so in love with John that I could no longer deny it was God.  Here was a prime example of how sometimes God gives us what we need before it’s what we want only to discover it’s what we needed all along.  I am so glad I sought God in prayer for my life.  I am not sure where I would be right now if I had chose to take my own path and pick my own dot.  I may have ended up unhappy and lifeless.  I may have ended up on a path where God would just stick by me until I turned to seek His desire for my life again.

So I feel like there are no good or bad choices if we choose God as our decision maker.  Even when we do make a bad choice, His Word promises that He will turn in to good, so in reality if we return to God we cannot lose.  God loves us so much that He just desires us to communicate with Him.  No matter what it is, He is waiting for you to call out to Him.  He is a friend forever and He has all the answers.