The Decisions We Make Today ...

The decisions we make today determine the story we tell tomorrow. – Craig Groeschel

Once a week, most weeks, you’ll find my little living room filled with coffee, women, and the occasional toddler or two.  We’ll watch a sermon on video, discuss a few points, and then pray for one another.

Right now we’re working through a study called My Story, which is a LifeChurch.tv series (you can find it free here).  The theme is choosing to do what God wants you to do so that your story will one day bring glory to Him.

When we look back on the stories of the Godly men and women in the Bible, we can easily see how their choices affected not only their own lives, but the lives of generation after generation … all the way into modern history.

But in our own lives, taking things one day at a time, the long-term impact of our decisions is not always so obvious.  Satisfying our own wants right now is so easy to do, rather than considering what God would have us do instead.

Recently my Dad brought a scrapbook of letters over for me to read.  They were letters that my mom had saved from before I was born, even before they were married.

Mom was working far away from home in the seventies, doing what she had wanted to do ever since she was a little girl.

And then one day, a higher-up offered her a great promotion, one that would provide more opportunity and be in a less isolated area.  Except that the promotion came with strings attached. 

The alternative was to be sent to a more remote placement, doing the same thing she was already doing.

Without the benefit of a support system close by, or even a phone call away, she made the decision that God would have her make. 

After hearing the whole sordid story, her mother, my Nana, wrote these words to her:

Dear Donna,

Well!  I got two letters today from you and my first reaction was to catch the nearest broomstick flight to the far north with naught but murder & mayhem in mind.  I’m sure  I was no more surprised than you at the turn of events!   ( — )But after digesting the situation (slightly impalatable) I’ve come to the only conclusion possible.  There is a reason for it all in God’s plan although we may not be capable of seeing with our mortal eye. 

The pastor used a verse in his message which had been running through my mind for the past week — “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your great works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt 5:16.  It’s from the Sermon on the Mount.

Dad was much concerned about the situation but we have no fears for your direction in the matter.  You’ve proven your sound thinking to us many times.

( — ) We’ll double our prayer effort and trust Him even more for guidance.  Just take one day at a time and remember that you are in the place where God has put you, for His purpose and nothing can change that.

As a result of her decision to say no to that job offer, she was sent to a tiny community where she met my dad.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

If she hadn’t made that decision to choose God’s way over a better job, I wouldn’t be here.  Neither would my kids, my brothers, or my niece and nephew.  We wouldn’t have come to know Jesus and we wouldn’t be serving where we are.

Her decision determined MY story.

It’s a wonderful reminder that I need to make wise choices too, even when the path of least resistance is easier to take.

What choices have others made that have impacted your life for God’s glory?