Decisions: Guest post by Pastor Rick

Sunday I had the privilege of seeing my daughter ordained as an elder in the Presbyterian church.  What a special day for us.  During the service, Caz talked about how the decisions we make at critical times in our lives can affect our future and the future of those around us.   He cited David, as someone who decided not to take the kingdom away from Saul by force, but instead waited for God's timing.  He took the high road.  And it was the best decision for him and for the whole nation of Israel.  That made me reflect on some decisions I had made during my lifetime.  I especially remembered a decision I made when Beth was still a baby, to get serious about my Christian faith.  I had been a very nominal, lame-excuse believer for several years- to the point that I didn't want anyone to know I was a Christian, because I knew I was such a poor example of one.  One night I made a decision:  I was either going to do this Christianity thing "right" or I was going to get out.  But I didn't know how to "do it right."  I had to learn that Christianity had to be about a relationship with a personal and caring God, not rules and religion.  That began a journey that I'm still on today, one that I made sure my children were a part of.

Then I thought of other decisions:  of a young teenage girl who decided that the "seeker-friendly" mega-church we were attending didn't have any serious discipleship or Bible studies for teens, so she struck out on her own to find a church that would meet her spiritual needs-- and she did.   A few years later, that same girl, looking at colleges to attend, chose not to attend a school with a beautiful campus (on the beach in San Diego!) because it had a reputation as being a "party school" and she wanted something with a more serious, Christ-like environment.  So she chose a very small, conservative Christian college that seemed to focus more on Biblical values.  Those were the right decisions.  They were made with the right motives.  Seeking Christ-likeness over the world's values is always the right decision.  Rising above pettiness and hate and vindictiveness is always the right decision.  Those are values we tried to instill in our children.  And today seemed like evidence that we had been successful in that.   Watching my beautiful, competent daughter being recognized for her spiritual leadership, I was very, very grateful for the blessings that come with following God's direction in our lives.  In fact, all of the good things, the blessings in my life, have come from deciding to listen to God and follow His direction for my life.

A grateful dad.

 

 

Pastor Rick