Did I Make a Mistake?
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Ephesians 4:14
Like many of you, this past year has been filled with a fair amount of change for me and my family. Included in those changes were providing foster care for a child for the first time, coming on board as an elder of this church, switching roles at work, and moving out to Tung Chung. In making each of those decisions, I spent time in prayer and felt the Lord’s leading to go in those directions. Nevertheless, some of those adjustments brought with them unexpected challenges and difficulties.
In the midst of those struggles, I started to doubt whether I made the right choices. Did I hear God correctly? Was God closing one door and telling me to head another direction? The convictions I had began to wane and I grew frustrated with my circumstances.
One day, it finally clicked. I am a bit ashamed to admit this as the solution is a basic and fundamental part of Christian living, but I realised I just needed to spend more time with the Lord. While most of my mornings begin in prayer and in the Word, I decided I needed to carve out some additional time in the morning to spend with God. And that is what I have been doing for the past month – a steady dose of reading the Bible, taking notes, and praying.
My surroundings did not suddenly completely change. I still encounter challenges and difficulties on a daily basis. The additional time with the Lord has reminded me to not be as focused on circumstances but rather on the unchanging God (Hebrews 13:8). And as simple as it sounds, that has made a tremendous difference in my mindset and my ability to persevere in moving forward.
Do you find yourself frustrated or in doubt about certain decisions that are currently impacting your life? If so, I encourage you to:
- Remember and thank God that He is forever faithful, never tossed here and there, and always your trustworthy Father God.
- Pray by bringing your doubts, fears, frustrations, and so on to God as commanded in Philippians 4:6. Ask for His guidance and revelation of the lessons He is teaching.