“It may look like the clouds are gathering for a storm, but I can rest because I have God’s companionship and that is enough. Decisions aren’t so harrowing — because I know the light dawns slowly but will come as needed.”- Jan Johnson, When the Soul Listens
In Chapter 7 (“Ask This Question Before Every Decision”) of The Next Right Thing, Emily P. Freeman observes that it’s possible to dread a storm even when the sky is clear. Similarly, the author states, it’s possible to take cover – even with no sign of rain. Because a difficult decision may birth a heavy idea or recurring thought in the night.
Furthermore, we fear making a move in order to avoid an unwanted consequence. As a result, hiding from potential storms of loneliness, failure, isolation, or invisibility marks our lives. Hence, Emily notes, fear works in two ways. Fear:
- keeps you from doing things you might want to do
- convinces you that you must do things you don’t want to do
Consequently, when it comes to hard decisions, Emily advises you to ask this question at the first sign of hesitation: Am I being led by love or pushed by fear? Even though the question doesn’t always result in clear answers, continue to carry it with you into every difficult decision.
In conclusion, Emily offers this summation:
“It’s one thing to live through something hard. . . . That would be a dark part in the story, but it wouldn’t be the whole story. It’s another thing altogether to create a storm in our head and then make our decisions based on a possible scenario that hasn’t even happened. That would be like naming the whole story as doomed before it had ever begun. We can’t prevent storms from coming, but we can decide not to invent our own.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses sustain you when clouds are gathering for a storm? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “This question of desire – how we answer”