Conversations of Faith at Common Ground

Waiting on God and trusting what He’s up to is a frustrating process for me.

We found out recently that we need to leave the place we are currently meeting.  We don’t have a place to go so God has to open doors and create opportunities for us.

It’s hard for me to not act first by jumping into action and making things happen.  I’d like to say I’m getting better at this process, but sometimes I wonder…

What’s Hillary going to do next? Pundits from all over are weighing in on the fate of Hillary Clinton’s campaign to be the Democratic nominee for President. No doubt, her advisers and supporters have an opinion and those closest to her will weigh in. But how will they decide?

I don’t know whether Clinton will continue her quest or concede to Obama — that’s not the point. But the gist of the process of decision-making for staying and going looks oddly similar to how some people try to discern the will of God. Should I take this job or another? Go to this college or that? Marry or divorce? Buy a house or rent? Play the lottery this week?

When faced with critical decisions (as well as “non-critical” ones), how do we decide what we’re going to do? Is it just an issue of weighing the evidence and making the best choice?

Unfortunately for me, my default seems to resemble this decision-making process far more than I want. I confess, my thought is, “I think this is what God wants. I’m going to hope for the best…”

I’m too impatient to listen for God’s “voice” and/or don’t want to hear something contrary to what I’ve set my heart on. Worse, I’ll affirm my answer with people who validate my opinion or focus on my self-perceived merits of my choice. Somehow, I convince myself that God likes my answer as much as I do.

And here’s the rub…

If I do “God’s will” (follow God’s lead in what I’ve set before Him) and things go bad, I’m going to be all right because He led me to my decision for a good reason (His reason, His plan).

However, if I act contrary to God’s will and things go bad, where does that put me? If I ask God to bless my wandering beyond what He’s asked me to do [read: the decision I made by myself for myself], can I expect Him to go along with that?

More than I’d like, I’ve found myself on a path I shouldn’t even be on. Then, I have to decide whether I’m going to turn around or keep at it. A good friend, when he wants to challenge my stubbornness, asks me, “How’s that workin’ for ya…?”

If our dilemma of decision-making is similar to Hillary’s, will our decision process mirror hers?