Too Many Choices

Recently my dad, who is the Director of Insurance at AAA Oregon, was offered a very cool career opportunity. It seemed like the perfect blend of his talents, his experience, and his passion (in this case, BMW Motorcycles). However, it also carried with it a great deal of uncertainty, and lacked the stability and certain retirement plan of his job with AAA. He didn't go out in search of this opportunity because of any deep dissatisfaction with AAA - it essentially fell into his lap, and he knew he would regret it if he didn't at least look into it, but he had no strong motivation to leave, either.

Once he was offered the new job, he had a choice to make. I discussed this with my mom at length, and she petitioned our ladies' Bible study group for prayers. Both of my parents seemed torn about this decision....should he go with what seemed like a dream job, or stick with what was stable and certain?

My mom tends to worry about things - I know this because I have inherited the trait from her. We both know that we need to just trust in the Lord to guide our decisions, protect the people we love, and work all things for good as He has promised. But let's face it - that is not easy! As women, we want to go in and fix things, to make them right, and to make the right decisions so that our life story and the life stories of those we care about will have a happy ending. Unfortunately, we live in the kind of world where innocent people are oppressed and bad things can happen to good people. The four-year-old child in me wants to pound my fists and cry out "It's not fair!!"

And yet, "we know that God works all things for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) I have this verse written on a post-it note stuck to my computer monitor because I often need to be reminded of this.

At church this past Sunday, Pastor Guy spoke about our calling as Christians (you can listen to this sermon on the River West website, see link on the right). He said that we are called to be "a kingdom of priests," which I'll admit, didn't sound all that exciting to me at first. But when he talked about the role of priests as "traffic cops at the intersection of hurt and hope," guiding a hurting world toward the hope of Christ, then things started to click. He also made a point which spurred a spirited discussion at our small group this week: that THIS is our Calling. And when people come to him and ask "should I move there or stay here? marry this person or not? take this job or that job?" that he just refers them back to their Calling. If you weigh the decision against this calling, you will make the right decision.

In this 31 flavors, have-it-your-way, half-decaf-grande-soy-extra-foam-latte society, we have so many choices! It can be paralyzing at times, the complexity of it all. I sometimes find myself standing in front of a menu board at Starbucks, and I know their offerings backwards and forwards, and yet I cannot make a simple decision that will have very little repercussions in the grand scheme of my life. With so many small decisions to make, how can we ever make the big ones?

"It's a typical situation in these typical times
Too many choices..."
-Dave Matthews, "Typical Situation"

That's probably why my mom's comment last week made so much sense to me, because when I really thought about it, it was one of the most freeing ideas I had ever heard. We were discussing my dad's job options, and she said, "I've decided that I don't need to worry about this, and I'm fine with either decision your dad makes. We've prayed about it, and others have prayed for us, so I know that whichever decision he makes, it will be the right decision."

She didn't say, "It will be OK," or "either decision would be fine." She said, "It will be the right decision."

Sometimes I think all we need to do is ask God to go with us, no matter which path we take. He has a plan for our lives, but he also gave us free will, and I believe that He delights in us asking for His wisdom and including Him in our decisions. But ultimately, he expects us to decide for ourselves. The great news is that He works all things for good - our mistakes and our bad decisions, our flawed selfish thinking and our self-righteousness. I can sometimes picture Him with a hand on my shoulder, smiling and shaking His head and wondering if I will ever learn. Always, though, He is there.

How can I go wrong?

Incidentally, we know that God will be at work at AAA, where my dad has decided to stay. Was the nice pay increase they offered a sign from God that this was His will? Hmm......that's a question my 7:26am brain can't quite tackle. But I know that He is there, and His plan is in place no matter what the future holds.