Dana Rongione

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Decisions, Decisions

I despise making decisions, don't you? Just last night I sat in bed, notebook in hand, and tapped my pen to my chin. To look at me, you would have thought I was pondering some great master plan, but I wasn't. I was making my meal list for the week so that I could follow that up with a grocery list for the next day. Trying to make healthy meals on a budget is extremely difficult, not to mention trying to add variety to our day-in, day-out dinners. I asked my husband for some suggestions, but he only shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know. I scowled as I thought, It must be nice not to have to make these decisions all the time.

Let's face it. Life is full of decisions. What will I wear? What will I eat? What will I try to accomplish today? What song should I post on my blog? What devotion would be appropriate for today? When can I work in a hike this week? Day after day. Moment after moment. Decision after decision. Most of them are not big decisions, so sometimes I, like my husband, shrug them off. This is where things become tricky.

You see, the Bible says we're not supposed to worry about what we're going to eat or what we're going to where. The point in that passage is that we're not supposed to worry. Period. God has everything under control, and He will provide. That passage is not saying that we don't have to make decisions. We do. We have to decide daily whether to do right or wrong, whether or not to spend time in God's word, whether or not to pray, not to mention deciding on how we will act (or react) to situations we may face during the day. Decisions must be made. There's no getting around it.

I believe this is where another Bible verse comes into play. II Thessalonians 5:17 says, Pray without ceasing. It's a very short sentence but a very powerful command. This verse is not saying that we shouldn't do anything but pray all day long. It kind of sounds that way, but that's not what it means. What it means is that we need to keep in tune with God all day, every day. By being in tune with Him, we will know what to do when it comes time to make a decision. We can seek His guidance all throughout the day. It's like having a continuous conversation with a friend; only this Friend truly sticks closer than a brother. He can't make the decisions go away, but He can certainly help in making the right choices.

*****Excerpt from Daily Discussions of a Doubting Disciple*****

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