Ok, so here it is, my first blog after a year :\
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The Challenge
There is a time for everything, and a season for every
activity under heaven. Eccl. 3:3
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges of life is knowing
when... When to open your heart… when to close it…. when to go forward, and
when to give up… when to wait for the perfect moment, and when to make the best
of an imperfect moment…when to hold out
for magic, and when to decide to be practical and accept reality…when to take
an opportunity, and when to be patient...when to pursue, and when to wait….when
to open up, and when to be silent…when to trust, and when not to.
Someone told me today “just trust your instinct.” But I said
my instinct isn’t always right. Someone else posted a link about a mathematical formula for making an important decision. But I don’t think there’s a formula for knowing when. When my married friend was asked "how do you know if you've met the one" she said "you just know." That wasn't very helpful as far as answers go, but perhaps she had a point. Perhaps everyone else had a point too.
Maybe when you're faced with a decision and you have to choose if it's the right time to or not, maybe there is a way to "Just know." Maybe sometimes it is clear and you don't have to think, you just know what the right decision should be. And maybe sometimes when it's not so clear, you can "trust your instinct" and go with what you feel deep down is the right decision. Or maybe sometimes when you really don't know what to do, you can try a formula to decide, like making a list of pro's and con's.
But what if we changed the question? What if we have been starting from the wrong beginning? What would happen if, instead of asking when, we asked why?.
Maybe the problem is not so much timing, as motive. Maybe knowing why you are doing something will help you decide if it's the right timing or not. Knowing if it's for your benefit, or the benefit of someone else, will make it clear if you are ready or if the other person is not ready. Perhaps the question then is, "how long do I wait until I can get the best possible outcome" and if the answer is "don't wait" then go forward. If the answer is "wait" then be patient. But know why you waiting, and be content with knowing that "your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
We probably will always face this challenge of not knowing when. But first knowing why, and then taking practical steps to make your decision, will do justice to both the dreamers and the realists. There's no magic formula, but we can use our God-given reasoning ability. There's no perfect emotion to guide us, but we can trust our instincts. That's the fun of not being a robot, there are so many different possibilities and outcomes for every decision we make. Just remember that every decision affects others.
Happy decision making :)
Until the Next Challenge...I mean, until next time :)
- R
