Should I?

To those dear to me,

It occurred to me this evening that there may be a better approach to the question, “Should I _____?” The blank can be filled by just about anything and everything we make a decision on daily, from the salient to the mundane. “Should I go there?” “Should I do this?” Sometimes the answer is clear—the thing in question either specifically violates a known command from God or specifically obeys a known command. Other times the details really blur our vision. For some things, we really struggle to easily grasp whether or not it is God’s will. I know that one day, whether sooner or later, it will become apparent what His will is or was for that thing…but what do I do today, especially when doing nothing is actually an action itself?

Well, I had one of those moments tonight. Actually, I have them quite often. As I carefully reviewed my motives and all the thoughts going through my head, something popped in there: “Will it take my attention away from You, God? Will I worship and serve You through it?” hmmmm…

If the answer is “Yes, it will divert my attention away from you,” or “No, I will not be doing it in worship and servitude,” then we have received our answer—“No, do not do that.”

The epiphany goes deeper, though, because we can immediately get caught up in the longer term view. In answer to the question posed above, “Well, I don’t know about doing this specific thing tonight, but I can see how in the future You could use it to keep my attention on You and to worship and serve You.” Be careful here. First of all, this can be the road to compromise and self-deceiving delusion. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end is the way of death.” – Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25 (Interesting that the exact same phrase is written twice!). But beyond that, the statement could also actually be correct—it may very well be what God wants you to do, especially because of its long-term impact. But how do we distinguish between those situations? Well, let’s not just trust our own whims, emotions, and logical judgments—if we do, I can assure you that we will stray from what God wants us to do. Instead, I think we ask the same question, but we make sure to focus on this very moment: “Will it take my attention away from you right now, in the short term, or long term? Will I worship and serve you through it, right now and through the very end?”

I think that may aid in our decision making. We can do anything and everything that we do with God and with an attitude of worship and servitude. Even when we can justify a long-term gain, God’s path includes no deviation during the process. God’s preferred will for our lives includes worshipping, serving, and keeping our attention on Him in the long run, yes, but also in the immediate moment and every moment in between.

Now, for the times where we carefully consider yet honestly can’t answer the question—when we’re not sure if we will worship or serve or glorify God by taking that action—instead of being paralyzed with fear and inaction, we may be empowered by the question. At that point, instead of aiding our determination of what to do, the question becomes a reminder to commit to serve and worship Him through it. The bottom line is this: whether or not you first conceived of the idea with service and worship in mind, if you decide to do it, do it with glorification of our Father as its purpose and resolve to be mindful of Him as you do it. If you do this, you have answered the question that you did not think you could answer! The result is pursuing and living God’s preferred will.

If you have no application of what I’m saying, then disregard it and please do not let it confuse you. However, I think many of us find ourselves in this situation. I know I do often.