12/11 Decisions

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
----------
Written by Jose Aviles
Decisions… especially when facing the unknown.

As the COVID-19 pandemic exploded and all of our lives changed drastically, we were faced with some tough decisions for everything that we had to do; do I go out to buy groceries, can I visit my family members, should I also wear a mask, who should I vote for, what should I do to protect my family and myself? As a school principal, I also had to make some tough decisions: reopening a school, designing virtual models for remote learning, asking the team members I care about to come to school and expose themselves, etc. 

It has been a challenging process that has exposed us to criticism and judgment.  Sometimes I wished I could sit back and say, “you know what, I will not make a decision, people can make their own choices and do whatever they want”.  After all, that would have saved us from lots of criticism, emails, time… and it would hopefully give us peace of mind!

We have all been faced with similar situations and it makes you wonder, have we made the right choices? Are my thoughts, ideas, and beliefs correct or am I completely biased and wrong about my ways? What would Jesus think about our choice and the reasons behind it?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a response to all of these questions or thoughts, but, I can share a verse from the bible to help me think about this. Philippians 4:6-7 says:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I believe that this passage helps us understand that, no matter what we decide or believe, if we pray about it and behave like Christians no matter the outcome (positive or negative), God will take control and help us benefit from any result.  

We will be able to change things for the better if the decision was wrong, and we will learn and obtain wisdom if we fail. And if we made the right choice, we will grow as human beings and in our trust in Jesus.  

Life is hard, we can’t hide that fact.  But if we decide to be prepared to confront it by teaching ourselves to think, act, behave more like Jesus, and place our thoughts and actions in Him through prayer, we will be able to appreciate God’s company through every moment and get closer to reach His purpose with our lives. As the verse says, He will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

When making tough decisions, we don’t only ask for wisdom to make the right choice, but we also pray for self-control to hear other’s perspectives, patience to understand our strengths, weaknesses, biases, and prejudices, and guidance to manage the consequences of your decisions. I believe that when we do this, the Lord will hear our prayer and help us, not only make the right choices but learn how to be at peace with our actions, thoughts, and emotions after our decision has been made. 
​
I am not too familiar with the Advent season and significance since it was not a part of my Christian background.  But I have learned that it is a season of anticipation and expectation for what God can do in our lives.  That being said, and reflecting on what has been shared in this short text about decisions, could we then decide to ask Jesus for wisdom in understanding our decisions and those of people around us in a way that we can act according to His will?
Be blessed brothers and sisters!
----------
Lord, guide my decisions and my perspective today, so that I might live with inner peace and outward compassion. 

Conclude with Stillness (2 minutes)