News flash- sometimes we need to just make a decision. The to-do list will never end and there will always be decisions to make. It’s daunting knowing our responsibilities are endless. This can cause difficulty making decisions-analysis paralysis. But paying attention to God and making wise decisions will steer us to His path for our lives.
Prioritization is a technique I teach at MemoryMinders. Multitasking as a whole is not good for our brains and in order to focus, we need to prioritize. This can be challenging with endless to-do lists and decisions to make. What is most important? Identifying what to eliminate, get help with or let go will aid in prioritization.
Feeling spread thin, this week I attempted to get a handle on all I do. I wrote a Master Responsibility List in order to fully identify all I hope to accomplish any given day or week. It proved to be slightly overwhelming.
I cram so much into each day trying to be so many things to so many people, it isn’t possible to do many of these things well. I’ve discussed this phenomenon in another post on how no can be good. When presented with new opportunities, sometimes no is the healthier answer. But I also struggle with whether a new opportunity is one I’m supposed to grab hold of. What if the new is what I should say yes to and an older responsibility is the one to let go?
I encourage others to seek and follow God’s will for their life as I try to do in mine. Sometimes that path is unclear. God doesn’t always tell us what to do in an obvious way. We need to pray and ponder.
This week I collaborated on a big decision that will impact many people’s lives, hopefully in a very positive way. I had peace about this decision and confirmed it with wise, godly people. But other times that peace isn’t apparent until after we make a decision.
Frequently, God wants us to step out in faith before we receive confirmation. The confirmation can come quickly or years later, but typically there is some affirmation that keeps us moving forward. A number of years ago, I received wise advice when following a new and unclear path: “Just keep going until someone says no.”
That is not to say when following the path we’re supposed to, it is always easy. Quite the contrary. Often God’s path is narrow and difficult. But when we keep seeking, we find the open doors God has for us. When decisions are confirmed by continued open doors, blessings and peace we can be confident of our decision. Other times, we quickly realize a path isn’t working and need to regroup.
The key is to step out in faith.
Just make a decision and see where it leads. More often than not, it will be quickly obvious.
Ironically, I started writing this with a decision on my mind. I had come to a conclusion, but was still a little unsure. But within the course of my day, situations arose confirming my decision. God works in many ways and often through other people. Pay attention because those coincidences, ironic situations or comments by others may be God helping us to just make a decision.