Decisions are hard. They can be seriously tough, even the seemingly simplest choices to make. Is this just me? It can't be just me.
And it feels like there are constantly decisions to be made. All the time. What to wear.. what to eat.. what to do with your weekend.. where to budget money.. what do I major in.. do I interview for this job.. do we make that big move.. and so on, and so on, and so on.
Yes, decisions are rather complicated sometimes. And sometimes we just make really simple decisions more complicated on our own. I'm sure some of my ladies out there can relate when I say that there are those days where it's difficult to even decide what to wear just to go get coffee. Not every time, but those certain times, it just seems nearly impossible to land on something. Even though you know it doesn't even matter.
That is true of life in so many circumstances. Sometimes it's super easy to just say yes, no, this one, that one, etc. Other times we couldn't make a decision to save our lives! Even you men who are designed to be the decision-makers of the home struggle with decisions from time to time. Maybe you can even relate to Winston [yes, from New Girl], "I get motion sick as a decision-maker." Decisions are hard. It's human nature.
Whether it be uncertainty and doubt, fear of rejection or failure, fear of missing out or losing, lack of preference or motivation, insecurity or timidness, or any of the myriad of other reasons, decisions can majorly derail our progress. When we can't make a decision, then we can throw off our whole day. We get behind in work. We cause a rift in our relationship. We do actually miss out on something. We cause instability within our home. We bring upon lack of trust from others. We end up late for meetings and dates. There are a mass of negative things that can come from being indecisive, even just from time to time. I'm not saying you need to have it all together all the time. Oh my goodness, we'd be in a world of hurt if that were true. I'm just pointing out that there are very real consequences that come from struggling with indecision or even never making a decision. Even then, you have made the choice to drop that responsibility altogether.
I have been having to make so many decisions in building my new business. From deciding to obey God and leave More Than Conquerors full time to what type of coffee business am I supposed to do; from deciding when to pick up part-time work opportunities to when to say "no" to others; from what type of equipment to buy to how to package my product; from what type of business entity to form (and the plethora of questions that come with that) to how do I want to market myself; from choosing to be eco-friendly or cost-effective to delivering myself or shipping product. It's A LOT. I'm not complaining because I'm seriously learning so much, and I am loving getting to build this thing up brick by brick. It's an incredible adventure! I would be lying though if I said it was zero-stress. The decision-making brings on a majority of that stress right now.
It basically comes down to this. I ultimately don't know what I'm doing.
I can think I know what I'm doing, then a hundred other options come up, and I'm lost again. I can have facts and knowledge about certain things, and I still don't know the exact right direction to go at this time in this place. I need help. I need help in my business decisions, and I need help in just my general life decisions. Maybe I don't always need help deciding what to wear or eat, but sometimes I do. I'm okay with that. Help me!
My number one source for help? You can probably guess it.. God! He is my go-to guy. I know I can take anything and everything to Him. Of course I forge ahead on my own at times. That's a reality that I face too often. However, I know that when I do take it to Him, I can trust that He will answer me, and that it will be good for me. I may not understand how it's good for me, but I can trust that if I'm listening to Him, then it is the best thing for me.
Take it to God! Everything. Before you go into a situation where you will be making decisions, ask Him to guide your thoughts and instincts. When you are in the midst of a tough choice, take the time to really sit and talk with Him. Be still and listen to Him. When you are uncertain or questioning something, ask Him to bring you a mentor or adviser. After you have made a decision, ask Him to show you how He has worked/is working in it all.
When I say I know that I can take everything to God. I mean it. EVERYTHING. You can laugh at me for this, but I've [on multiple occasions] asked God what I should wear. And He is faithful. He has told me exactly what to wear. He has led me to a color. He has nudged me to grab that sweater or change into the more comfortable shoes. He cares about what I wear even! Of course He is going to care about the more major decisions I'm making in life. He wants to guide me in all I do. He wants to guide you in all you do. Not like puppets. We don't HAVE to choose to follow anything He says. But He's always there to guide us and help us, and as my Creator, I know He wants and knows the absolute best for me. So I trust Him. I choose to trust Him. Even when it doesn't make sense. Even when it hurts. Even when I can't see what's coming next.
Let God guide your decision-making, and feel that stress load lift off your shoulders. Jesus promises us He will take that load from us. All we need to do is choose to lay it down.
I had this dream awhile ago where I would climb up a very steep hill alone. I would climb and strive really hard to get to the top. Then I would finally reach the top, and I would rinse off.. and do it all over again. Over and over again. Climb up, struggle and strive, reach the top, rinse off, climb again.. Finally, I was climbing, but this time was different. I was walking upright and easily straight up the incline. And I wasn't alone. I was walking with my Helper. I was walking with Jesus. I honestly didn't realize it was Him at first, but it was. He walked with me. He took the struggle of it away, and He helped me up the hill. That was the last time I had to climb that hill, and I did it in stride with my Savior.
I share this with you because, while I know what God revealed to me about this dream and what it refers to specifically in my life, I believe it is an illustration that we can all relate to. We can all pin point those moments and areas for each of us where we let ourselves struggle and climb and carry on shouldering all the weight -- all the stress, anxiety, worry, doubt, fear, depression, guilt, regret, indecision, confusion, etc. And the whole time we climb and climb and work and strive, Jesus is waiting eagerly and ready to help us. He wants you to realize you need Him. He wants to help you walk effortlessly up that hill. Give it to Him. If you don't know what keeps you striving to get up the hill, then ask Him today to reveal that strain to you. He is Immanuel -- God with us -- and He wants to walk with you in ALL that you go through.
I paused my frantic searching through a sea of choices for a decision I'm trying to make currently to write this post tonight, and I'm so happy He urged me to do that. I needed to hear everything I just wrote. God cares about the packaging of my product, and I choose to trust Him to guide me to what is best for me and my business. What are you going to choose to trust God to guide you in today? Think about that this week. Where can He lighten your load? Help you make a decision?
What are you going to choose to trust God to guide you in today?
[If you want to share with me your thoughts on this question or anything about this post, please email me or comment here or on Facebook or Instagram! I love to hear from you ❤ As always, feel free to share this with whomever and wherever you feel it should be shared!]
[This blog post has been moved over from estahenderson. com to this site. The previous website will no longer exist after 1/31/19]