What Should I do?

I read something this morning that was so freeing! A little too deep to fully comprehend in one sitting, however, it did shed enough light to illuminate a door of escape from the anxiety Christians can get trapped in. As Christians we can get so overwhelmed by decisions so much so that it can paralyze us from making any decision or even serving others for the Lord. We are so worried that if we choose the wrong decision we somehow mess up all of God’s plans for us. As if we ever had that power. As if an all-knowing God didn’t know we would make that decision. What I am reading in this book, “In His Image” by Jen Wilkin, is that we should be less concerned with the question “What should I do?” and be more concerned with the question “Who should I be?” She goes on to say “But if Scripture teaches us anything, it is this: God is always more concerned with the decision-maker than he is with the decision itself. Take, for example, Simon Peter. When faced with decision A (deny Christ) or decision B (acknowledge him), Peter failed famously. But it is not his poor decision-making that defines him. Rather, it is the faithfulness of God to restore him. Peter’s story serves to remind us that, no matter the quality of our choices, all is never lost. This makes sense when we pause to consider that no decision we could ever make could separate us from the love of God in Christ. God can use the outcome of any decision for his glory and for our good. That is reassuring. Peter was faced with two choices—one of which was clearly unwise. But often we must choose between two options that appear either equally wise or equally unwise. Often the answer to the question “What should I do?” could go either way. Which brings us to the better question. For the believer want- ing to know God’s will for her life, the first question to pose is not “What should I do?” but “Who should I be?” Of course, the questions “What should I do?” and “Who should I be?” are not unrelated. But the order in which we ask them matters. If we focus on our actions without addressing our hearts, we may end up merely as better behaved lovers of self. Think about it. What good is it for me to choose the right job if I’m still consumed with selfishness? What good is it for me to choose the right home or spouse if I’m still eaten up with covetousness? What does it profit me to make the right choice if I’m still the wrong person? A lost person can make “good choices.” But only a person indwelt by the Holy Spirit can make a good choice for the purpose of glorifying God. The hope of the gospel in our sanctification is not simply that we would make better choices, but that we would become better people...” I am only in the first chapter of this book and I already can tell that if I show up with a humble and pliable spirit, each chapter has the potential to profoundly impact and grow me into the woman God created me to be. And I will also become less and less anxious over the many choices that are before me each and every day and find peace in the knowledge that God has a plan for me and I do not have enough power to thwart those plans. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 and “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28