The word hindsight is crucial to our future, we can’t learn without having experiences. Therefore, it is necessary to have people older than you, whom you can trust, to give you advice. The Bible speaks clearly about seeking advice from wise counsel, those who have put in the time to gain the experience you don’t have. We tend to fight for our freedom to make our own choices. We say things like, “You don’t know what I am going through”, or “I need to learn by making my own mistakes”. Pardon me for being so blunt, but that is utter nonsense. Why live through, and put others through, the pain of poor decisions when you have evidence from other’s experiences that would show the outcome to have negative effects.
As you are making those important life changing choices, you will need to have disciplines you adhere to. You will need to have in place people you can rely on for their wisdom. You will also need a process you follow faithfully for making those important decisions. Not practicing this will create consequences you will have to live within future years. It may be that procrastination and inaction will take hold and lead to consequences. I can promise you this, if you are diligent to be disciplined through the process of decision making, you will indeed grow in character as well as having a better outcome for your future. The trickle effect of that diligence will also come full circle and be beneficial for those in your circle of friends, coworkers, and family. Remember – your decisions never just affect you!
When it comes to decisions that will affect or change the person you are, the person God has made you to be, as well as potentially affecting those around you, remember this; the outcomes and the rewards of those diligently thought out decisions will be the most satisfying accomplishments of your life. They can also be some of your most treasured achievements.
There are three major decisions you will make in your life. First, will you believe in God and accept Jesus as your Savior? Second, who will you marry? Third, will you have children? The very first of these decisions whether to follow Jesus is the most important life decision you will ever make. Why you ask? Your faith choice is the only decision with eternal (forever being even after you die) consequences for you and your generations to follow. Keep in mind it is also important for your faith walk as to who you choose to marry. Your spouse will influence what you believe and how you walk out that belief as a family.
Other major decisions you will make that don’t necessarily have eternal consequences are things like; to date or not to date, who to date and how you should act in your dating relationships or who are to be your friends, whether you will participate in the party atmosphere and so on. I am sure you get the picture, right? There are other important decisions you will make such as your education and your career choice, which in today’s day world seem to be of high priority. You step out of high school into that phase of adulthood and are pushed in so many different directions to decide which path to take. Please remember these are important but, these types of decisions will only affect 30 to 40 years of your life, not your whole life or your eternal life. Make sure to prioritize your decisions accordingly. I always told my students it took Jesus 30 years to start His ministry. So, take your time to decide your next step in education or career and look at all your options. Ask for all the help you can get and most of all pray! God will direct your steps.
We’ll continue together on this journey over the next serval days, using the steps below as our guide.
Define your Decisions
Review your Options
Review your Boundaries, Values, and Morals
Seek Advice
Be open to new Ideas
Know your motives
Look at Personal & Generational Consequences
Don’t be in a rush to Decide
Test with Scripture
Pray