Friday, July 9, 2010

Decisions Decisions

Our family is approaching a crossroads. We must decide where to live. Right now we are considering Southern California (where we are now) or Central California (where DH's family is). We really want to seek God's plan and go (or stay) as he directs.

The thing is, there really hasn't been a clear direction one way or the other. We initially thought up north was the clear option. Then DH started leaning more toward staying, which I was fine with. But in the past few weeks, I've been feeling a tug north again. DH has started to feel the same. But were our reasons godly? Are these feelings a message from God? How could we be sure? Have we been listening closely enough?

Then, this week I came across this blog by The Internet Monk that freed my thinking a bit on this.

He argues that there are 5 ways that God reveals his will.


  1. Declarations and commands in scripture
  2. Providence/life's circumstances
  3. Authority figures and trusted advisors
  4. Mystically through the Spirit
  5. Signs, miracles and answered prayers
He points out that many Christians agonize over what God's will as a result of focusing too much on the 4th and 5th ways, overlooking the still small voice of the first three "ordinary" methods of revelation.

These two quotes in particular stood out:

If this makes sense, I reject the idea that God requires some superior effort on my part to be mystical in order to communicate his will to me.


and

I’m free, within the boundaries of following Jesus, loving God, loving neighbor and using my gifts and talents, to serve God wherever I believe is the best place for me. There is a process, but I can trust myself as a reliable means of knowing God’s will. Not perfect, but not to be ignored in favor of “signs.”

Finally, as I browsed through the 150+ comments to the blog entry, I came across these powerful lyrics by David Wilcox.

I'm done being "dead with deciding ... mourning the choices I'd lose." It's time to make the decisions. I trust that we will find, as Mr. Wilcox did, that:


Now as soon as I'm moving - my choice is good
This way comes through right where I prayed that it would
If I keep my eyes open and look where I should
Somehow all of the signs are in sight
If I hold it up to the light

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