Some decisions are fairly simple, especially if you are seeking God’s will and the answer is clearly addressed in the Bible.

Should you kill, steal or hate?  No, those are easy.

However, there are many areas we can be unsure about such as:  who to date, what to study, where to work or live, etc.

About 3 year ago I wrote a blog about a new business venture and I’m pretty sure I was vague about what it was because I wasn’t sure how committed I was or if I would succeed.  I wasn’t ready to put it out there and be vulnerable or held accountable.

Looking back, it wasn’t even that big of a deal.  I had gotten out of corporate America and allowed a friend to convince me that I could be successful in real estate.  I knew I could pass the exam for my license, do the research, learn the ropes, etc., but I wasn’t sure where I would get clients.

I’m pretty introverted and insecure, so the idea of networking, social events and promoting myself does not come naturally.

The first day of class one of the instructors talked about how hard the business was, how many people don’t make it and how you had to really want it.  I felt like that already counted me out, but had no idea what else I was going to do, so I kept going.

Over the next few months, I had little success with only a lease here and there, so I took a job working as a marketing assistant for a real estate team for a year.  I later tried being a buyer’s agent and sold one condo and leased a home, but ended up settling as a transaction coordinator for a top producer.  That job lasted a little over 2 years.

While I had set out for change and being my own boss, I found myself right back in an administrative assistant position with limited pay and opportunities.  I rationalized and justified things to stay in a comfort zone even though I knew I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.

In hindsight, all of this is clear and makes my struggle as to whether or not to change directions seem a bit ridiculous.  I was already unhappy and longing for something different and yet I waited until something made me angry to seriously consider moving on.

I debated quitting and did my typical over analyzing, pros and cons kind of thing. I listened to others and worried about many things regarding an unknown future.

My husband and I had just started a new business and we had gotten several referrals from my boss, so I wondered if that would end.  Would we lose clients and business?

Would we make it financially?  Would I find what I’m meant to do?

I finally decided to put in my 2 week notice and the next day I chose to read from a devotional I’ve had for a few years and read from many times here and there.  That day’s message was called “Don’t Plan Without God”.  It warned about not seeking God’s will when making your plans, which wasn’t my problem since I had already been praying.

However, it also said to not plan with evil in mind.  It quoted 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 that accounts what love is and what it is not.  While career planning doesn’t seem to have anything to do with love, my desire to do what’s right for me and my family and also serve God does.

If God loves me and I feel Him calling me in a different direction, then I can’t let the “evil” of self-doubt, people pleasing or my co-worker’s possible vindictiveness be a determining factor in my decision making.  I have to trust God to show me the way.  “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6

The devotional also said to not make plans with a rainy day in mind.  I wanted to know exactly what my next move should be and whether or not I was going to be successful.  I wanted to steal home while keeping my foot on third base, which is impossible!

I also wanted immediate confirmation that I was making the right decision and that I was going to be okay financially.  A practical mind wants a guarantee and little risk.

However, faith wouldn’t be needed if we always knew the outcome and had control over all the variables.  Trusting God is a perceived risk and yet, is the safest bet there is.  In whom can we or should we trust completely other than our Almighty God?

In John 14:1, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.”

As Oswald Chambers points out in “My Utmost for His Highest”, Jesus didn’t say that God won’t keep our hearts from being troubled, but that we are commanded to not let it be.

I had already decided to quit when I read this devotion.  My struggle with making the decision had passed, but the confirmation of how I made it correctly brought peace.  I had chosen not to let “evil” make my decision for me or the uncertainty of a “rainy day” stop me.

Make no mistake, I had many distractions pulling at me, but I was reminded by my dear husband to listen to one Voice only.  I realized that I already knew my answer before I even started asking all my questions.  I had to take fear out of the equation.

While God does the leading, we have to do the walking.  Trust is an exercise in faith and it takes work on our part, requiring us to take the next step.

A loving God calls you out; He doesn’t pull you out!