Simple right? But not easy. This week, my family faced the decision of whether or not to replace our beloved family car, and if we did, which vehicle do we replace it with. We debated the merits of each vehicle. We test drove. We debated payment caps and doen payments. I prayed for wisdom. This feels like a bigdecision for us. We haven't had a car payment in almost five years. We are nervous about taking on the expense.
At one point, my husband felt immobilized by the magnitude of the decision: What if his job disappears? How will we afford this? Which car would be the smartest buy? He was spinning in his tracks. I used the methods in the bible study to point out that there were no truly "bad" decision we could make and that all our decisions (even just repairing the car we already owned outright), were good mixed with some bad. It made him feel better to see that it was useless to look for the "perfect" decision and that what we decided might have different consequences, but certainly wouldn't he "wrong."
That was all good, but here's what I missed: the car decision seemed most important because it gave us the illusion of control. We felt like we were "deciding" our future with our car choice; that's what we so when we imbue our decisions with such importance that they immobilize us: we give ourselves the illusion of power. We have to make the "perfect" decision because we think we have all the power. If I am really a Christian I have to stop that kind of thinking. I have to remember that God has all the power.
Of course my choices matter and I should use wisdom to make them (especially big financial decisions like a new car!). But I should always remember to say "Yes" to God being the highest and most important power. I can't let myself forget that in the daily grind of making my decisions . . . Even my "wisest" ones.
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