Have you ever tried to pick out the right watermelon and just been lost? How is it that we’re supposed to know? Spots? Tails? Thumping? I’m never sure, so mostly I just grab one that doesn’t look rotten and hope for the best.
If you ask people you get all kinds of different answers. Well, that’s not really helpful is it? How do I know which advice is correct? The man who is stocking them or the grandmother getting one at the same time? Google it and that’s even worse. There are so many answers and everyone is so sure theirs is the right one. I’m sure some of that doubles up. I doubt there are actually that many ways to decide on a ripe watermelon.
Picking produce is enough to fill a person with anxiety if we’re not careful. That’s nothing compared to the rest of the life right now, though. Too bad picking the sweetest watermelon isn’t our toughest decision. The questions today all seem to hover pretty close to life and death scenarios. Or at least things that could eventually lead to life and death. Which people to believe, proper ways to protect yourself and others, how to go forward for just everything, are all very real questions.
There’s a lot of noise out there tackling all sorts of today’s issues. I find it difficult to hone in on the most correct answer. But so much of life brings a similar problem. How do we know what to do? If I’m struggling to know what to do there are some tried and true methods that help me get my arms wrapped around a best answer and a way to proceed.
Pray. This is the first thing we should do. Too often it’s the last. We have the opportunity to talk directly to God and we’re flippant and cavalier about it instead of earnestly seeking His help. Be honest with Him. He can take it. Pray for those people having to make all the decisions. Pray that He will give you a peace in your answer.
Run it through Scripture. If we want to know what God wants us to do and how to be, then we best consistently be reading our Bibles. This provides us with a filter to determine what’s real and what’s not. God doesn’t change. He isn’t going to tell us to do something that is contradictory to what the Bible teaches. I find that it also helps keep me encouraged and reminds me not to fear. It doesn’t tell me to be daft, but it does tell me not to fear. It tells me to serve. It tells me to love my neighbor.
Get counsel from trusted Christians. There’s nothing wrong with getting advice from a close friend or a person of faith that you trust. Ask your prayer warriors to go to bat for you. You don’t have to take all the advice from anyone, but gathering some from the best sources can help you work through the problem and frame a solution.
Seek God first. No matter the problem, no matter the effectiveness of the possible solutions, seeking Him first is the only way to begin to get our priorities right. It matters because our hearts and minds are much more aligned with whatever is getting our attention. If you want to know where God is leading you have to keep following.
Father we pray that you would help us discern your truth in a world full of differing opinions clamoring for attention. We know the enemy would like nothing more than to continue stirring up confusion, dissension and doubt. Help us today to turn our focus toward you and turn down the noise of the world. Help us to go forward confidently in faith, hope and love. In Jesus‘ name, amen.
