We are constantly making decisions in our lives, for our lives, and about our lives. Every day we decide to get up, and when, to eat, or not, what to wear, how to look, what to say, how to act, and much, much more. Those are what I would term the 'obvious' decisions in our lives. But occasionally we are faced with the 'tougher' choices in life. Do I buy a house, should I take that job, can we start a family, etc. etc. etc. Now we're getting into the bigger things, those potentially life-changing events. And while I personally prefer things in black and white so I can carefully analyze the situation and choose the correct course of action, I'm beginning to think that there is no 'right or wrong' when it comes to life decisions. Okay, if you don't prayerfully consider your options, and you act in a way that is contrary to God's plan, I suppose it might be a harder swim up the stream. But, for better or worse, some of the big decisions in life don't come with a neon sign to help you choose, nor do they offer a guarantee of happiness. It is not a matter of picking one so everything will be fine. I believe that either direction will move you, it's more a matter of which direction you want to go. I know, that's a pretty vague response. But perhaps it isn't just about the the path that you take on your journey, but rather the destination that you reach. And we all know there are many ways to get to point A from point B. Obviously, the shortest distance is a straight line. But walking that straight line is like walking a tightrope - not many people are successful at it on the first try. For me, my path tends to curve, maybe goes up a hill or down a valley. Sometimes I think it is blocked by boulders, but that's just because I forget to follow the signs. I don't know that I'll ever walk a path using the easiest route, but that is part of my journey. I am where I am because of what I've gone through to get here. I try to remember that when presented with a question mark, I can only base my decision on the information I have at that moment in time. No option to peek into a crystal ball or use that 20/20 hindsight. I know one of my challenges when faced with a big decision is that choosing one option eliminates another. So instead of seeing it as positive movement, I see it as a limitation. A simplistic example - choosing to read a book means I removed the option of watching a movie instead. Of course, I tend to forget that I could always watch the movie AFTER reading the book, or if I'm really up for a challenge, while I'm reading the book. I have to remember that just because I chose option A, I could always choose option B next. Yes, I know that the circumstances will never be the same, but life is made up of moments of time, and time keeps moving whether we choose to or not. Even if I move in one direction and decide later that it was wrong, at least I moved. Any movement is better than no movement at all. And there comes a point when it's just time - I've prayed, I've worried, I've pondered my options and analyzed them to death. All that is left is to act!
