Decisions and Trust

Decisions and Trust

Decisions are a crucial aspect of our lives and though we may not notice it, we make thousands of decisions every day; each with its own varying level of consequence, whether it be positive or negative. But when we struggle in making a decision, big or small, where should we turn to?

What should I wear today? Who will I make friends with? What career path should I take? 

These questions are the ones that are often swirling in the mind of the teen, and as we grow up, the importance of each decision grows, impacting us not only on a short term basis, but affecting our character too. Sometimes we do not realise the magnitude of the effect one decision can make, even one as simple as choosing a friend group, on our lives.

As we grow, we are expected to grow in maturity and make decisions that we are sometimes simply not ready for, because we ourselves cannot  trust that our choice will be the “correct” one, or be the one that will bring success in our life. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and make a decision without thinking, or be swayed to make a certain decision by the people around us. The media is also ever-growing in its popularity and power over our decisions. 

But if not to ourselves, where should we seek help from when making decisions?

Decisions Means Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all [our] heart, and do not lean on [our] own understanding”. 

Making decisions, fundamentally, is all about trust. Trust is integral to all relationships in our lives, our friendships, in our family and especially with God and choosing who we trust makes a significant impact on our lives.So the first crucial decision we must make is, who will we trust?

Deciding to trust God is a big decision in itself. Trusting in Him means we have to continually depend on Him and have faith that His answers to our questions are true. It means trusting Him in all aspects of our lives, from the little questions to the big ones, and in times of struggle to times of joy. 

It is incredibly difficult to let go of the control we have over our lives and our decisions. 

But what we can take comfort in is that “[God’s] understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5). He knows what we’ve faced, what we’ll struggle with in the future – even the “very hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:30) and known by Him.

We, on our own, have a much more limited understanding compared to our vast-knowing God, and when we depend on our own mind, we cannot be 100% sure that our choice is really  true. We can only predict what outcome our decision may lead to. 

God calls us to depend on Him, to trust in His understanding and not our own, because He knows infinitely more what lies ahead for all of us,  you and I. 

Trusting in God

Now that we’ve taken the biggest step in deciding who to trust, how do we carry this out in our lives and our actions? 

To trust in someone, it is critical that we communicate with them. Being close with friends requires being honest and open to one another and this is only achievable by  talking with each other often.

The same principle is what we must carry out with God. God is our friend and our guide, and to grow our trust in Him, we need to communicate with Him through prayer. 

The Bible, His Word is essential for us in developing our understanding of who He is and through it, we can learn and grow to depend on Him.

The one last step we must take is to be open and honest about ourselves to God. Thus, to commit to Him and fully trust Him to lead our decisions.