Making decisions is difficult

Today's topic is about choosing. C.S. Lewis wrote a tale of two demons titled, "The Screwtape Letters."

The story takes the form of a series of letters from a senior Demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a Junior Tempter on how to keep Christians off balance. Screwtape says, "If we really want to throw humans into a tailspin when it comes to making decisions, keep them either looking backwards through nostalgia, or keep them in a state of anxiety looking forward."

Making decisions can really twist us up in knots.

When we come to a fork in the road or a cross roads, sometimes we feel like all these decisions are equally okay. Here are three pastures -- pasture A, pasture B, pasture C. They're all fine. They're all good. You choose. You decide because, if the truth be told, sometimes we don't really want guidance, we just want to be spared the anxiety of choosing. We don't know whether we should choose pasture A, pasture B, pasture C. We can feel like we're in the middle of a nightmare game show. What if I make the wrong choice? How do I know what to do to make the right choice?

I'm not sure if you feel hag-ridden today about any major life decisions. Some of you may feel totally twisted in a knot about what to do. For others, the biggest decision was what to have for breakfast. For most of us, we fall somewhere in between, whether it's about schooling or job choice or career path, engagements, marriage, remarriage, should we have or should we adopt children? Should we relocate?

Jesus one time said to his disciples, "If anyone is willing to do my will, if anyone is desirous of pleasing God, he'll know of the next step. He'll know of my teaching." John 7:17. When we make decisions, we believe in God's Word, listen to godly counsel, and then ask for faith. We go through this process so we can make the wisest decisions we can.

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Editor's note: The Rev. Dr. Scott Stewart is the pastor of Pea Ridge United Methodist Church and Brightwater Methodist Church. He can be contacted at [email protected] or 479-659-9519.

Religion on 10/03/2018