Wisdom to Make Hard Decisions
By Kelly Balarie
“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. – Matthew 22:37-39 NIV
Cliff notes.
A thesis statement.
A mission for an organization.
10 pages of writing condensed to one page.
What do all these things have in common?
They’ve boiled a whole lot down to a main point.
Jesus boils down everything for us in Matthew 22, after the disciples asked Jesus, “What’s the greatest commandment?” (Matthew 22:36)
Here, Jesus pointedly answers, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)
Our calling, our being, and our existence all boil down to this: love. The essence of what God wants is that we love Him with all our hearts, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
In just two sentences, Jesus gives us a clear mandate with needed direction for our life. And we need this, because there are times when we just don’t know what to do.
I am in one of those seasons now. I need to make wise decisions, but I don’t have much time to do so. In this situation, it can feel easy to give in to pressure, to what I should do, or to what others want me to do.
What do we really do in spaces like this? When we don’t know what to do? When we aren’t sure of what decision to make? When we can’t decide how we should talk to someone? When we can’t figure out how to proceed with our finances? When we are at a crossroads where we must decide something major? If it all boils down to these two commands, we must return to them when facing hard decisions by asking ourselves, as we vet all our options:
1. Will this way cause me to love God with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind? Laying within this question, are more questions. We also ask: Are there snares on this path that have to do with the fear of man – that I need to recognize? Are there distractions down this way that might cause me to become complacent or to compromise? Am I far more prone to temptation and to sin because this is not actually the path of wisdom?
“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Prov. 14:12)
2. Will this way help me to love my neighbor as myself?
Here, we can go deeper by asking: Is this decision selfish or selfless? Will this road cause me burnout, diminishing what I have in me to pour out? Am I venturing down this road out of obligation to others or out of real devotion to God? What will become of my reserves of love as I walk down this path? Will I be effective in loving others?
“Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:8)
In a time where we have a thousand competing voices, where information is coming at us one-thousand miles a minute, where people are texting us with a bazillion opinions, where the world is telling us what prosperity and power look like – we aren’t prone to think about love.
But, we are told to be led by the Spirit of Christ and by the Mind of Christ. His mind is far different than the ways of the world.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
The highest wisdom is love. David, a man after God’s own heart, beget Solomon, a man of utmost wisdom. How can you make love your GPS? How might God want to lead you in the right way to go as you pursue love, the highest and the greatest command?
Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Oladimeji Ajegbile
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