Decisions

Last night, one of my dear friends came to my house in a panic over her senior year. Like any high school senior, she's scrambling to settle on a college, meet application deadlines, and decide what she wants to commit to for the rest of her life- at the ripe age of 17. This season of her life is filled with life-changing decisions, first times and last times, and heavy expectations on what her choices should be. If you graduated high school within the last five years, you can probably remember the stress, anxiety, and pressure of creating a future that meets everyone else's expectations. My fiancé and I are in the midst of a similar struggle; we're striving to lay a spiritual, emotional, physical, and financial foundation that the rest of our lives, and our children's lives, will be built on. We're also trying to find out how to blend two dissimilar upbringings into one cohesive lifestyle, weeding out what works for us as a couple versus what worked for our families. This season of my life, like my young friend's, has turned from a predictable brook to a coursing river. As Pocahontas sings, "you can't step in the same river twice/the water's always changing, always flowing." As a young adult who's lived in the same house for the majority of her life, "always changing" isn't exciting. It's scary. I'm not an adventurous person by any means; I thrive on routines, schedules, and clear instructions. There's no manual for major, life-changing, world-shattering decision making. Or is there?

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever." 

Isaiah 40:8

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Psalm 119:105

Y'all, the Bible is POWERFUL. The Holy Spirit didn't inspire forty men to write decrees, wisdom, and eyewitness accounts just for kicks. The scrolls haven't been preserved, protected, and recreated for centuries "just because." The Word of the Lord is faithful and true because it is God's love letter written TO US, His children, for the sake of our purity and His glory. Yesterday, I opened my Bible to Proverbs 19 and found five slices of wisdom, perfect for the decision I've been praying through and seeking wisdom for. My fiancé frequently refers to scripture to reach solutions, and my mom and dad's parenting style is fully shaped by the Bible's teachings. An entire religion with hundreds of denominations has been shaped around this book. Reading my Bible has never failed to bring peace, closure, or direction. These words have fallen to us directly from God's perfect lips. Reading and memorizing scripture is essential for knowing and following our Lord. Don't you think you should check it out? For those of you struggling with any major decisions, these scriptures have helped me tremendously.

"Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes."

Proverbs 19:2

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."

James 1:19

"Those too lazy to plow in the right season will have no food at the harvest."

Proverbs 20:4

"God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

Matthew 5:5-10

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy."

James 1:2

"Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs." 

Proverbs 19:11