ealthy expectations free us from some unnecessary frustration when making decisions. Had Gilligan and crew known that they were in for more than a three-hour tour, they could have packed and prepared differently. We don’t have to be caught off guard by the complexity and ambiguity of the decision-making process. The more realistic we are in our expectations, the better! Clarity Author Brennan Manning recounts a powerful story about an ethicist named John Kavanaugh. Like many searching for a clear sense of calling, Kavanaugh found himself traveling to Calcutta in search of direction from Mother Teresa. When she asked him what he needed from her, he asked her to pray for clarity, only to have Mother Teresa flat out refuse his request. Bewildered, Kavanaugh retorted “that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for,” to which Mother Teresa laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.” We far too easily demand clarity from our Creator when, instead of clarity, he would rather cultivate faith in us. Obviously, clarity remains an end goal of the process of decision-making; however, faith precedes clarity. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Later in the same chapter, he also reminds us that “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6). Every decision, even those well-thought-out and prayed through, requires faith of some sort. It takes faith to stay in the states to minister in our neighborhoods just as it requires faith to leave the states to share the gospel in a foreign context. It takes faith to walk as a single man or woman just as it takes faith to enter the covenant of marriage with a spouse. It takes faith to foster children BY EMILY BROWN Making Big Life Decisions Doesn’t Have to Be Hard H
children not knowing how long they may be with you, but it also takes faith to say a prayerful no to a potential foster placement. Thus, when we are asking the Lord to give ample clarity, it is helpful to recognize that even decisions that have become clear require trusting faith. Complexity Sometimes decisions are short, sweet, and simple. There is no need to agonize over which sides to select with your entree at a restaurant, though some of us do struggle between the steamed veggies and the side salad. When choices revolve around neutral, amoral, personal preferences, the consequences of the decision are rarely weighty. However, when decisions involve the more significant pieces of our lives, the process becomes increasingly complex.
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