A note from the writer: This piece was initially written as a journal prompt. I’m publishing it now as a nod to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and in recognition that voters in the United States are making choices this week. While this piece is not politically driven—instead, it asks you, dear reader, to look at decisions creatively and seek God when making life choices—it’s also a good reminder that sometimes there are only a few select choices (like the this or that of ballots). When we have the opportunity to choose, we must not avoid those responsibilities but instead continue to seek God and choose well.
Happy voting this week, and thanks for supporting my writing with your likes, shares, and comments.
I like pie.
That’s why when I had a decision to make as a freshman in college, I reframed my options as a choice between apple and pumpkin pie. (If you were to read my journal during that time, you’d see how obsessed I was with these two desserts and be confused as to why I wrote so much about pie!)
Apple pie was comfortable, dependable. It was that feeling of home and security that made sense. After all, who doesn’t love homemade apple pie?
Pumpkin pie, on the other hand, was exotic. It was full of spice and variety. It was out of my comfort zone, but it smelled so good!
As a college student, I only saw these two options. I hadn’t yet learned to seek God for my future or learned that God has an out-of-the-box way of doing things, displayed both in the Bible and today.
Just think of the story of Abraham and Isaac. God promised Abraham that he would give him many sons (see Gen. 15:4-5), yet Abraham was old and so was his wife, Sarah. He couldn’t see beyond the natural: Time was ticking. He needed to produce an heir. So, under the encouragement of his wife, he conceived a son with his wife’s maidservant.
Fast-forward and we know that the union between Abraham and the maidservant created division (Gen. 16:5; 21:10). Because neither Abraham nor Sarah waited for the miracle of a natural-born son to fulfill God’s promise, when their long-awaited son Isaac was born, Abraham’s first son Ishmael was sent away. Although God promised to make Ishmael a great nation, too (Gen. 21:18), he was cast off as a son of a slave and grew into a man outside the influence of Abraham’s godly direction.
God fulfilled the promise he made to Abraham, but Abraham complicated it by moving in his strength instead of waiting on God. In our limited view as humans, it’s hard to see beyond our own logic. But God’s paths are better and clearer than ours. Isaiah 55:9 declares, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
And yet, choices are still with us. Everyday.
But maybe the choices we think we have to make are not actually the choices we need to make. Maybe our everyday decisions are not between the comfort of apple pie or the spice of pumpkin. Maybe it’s simply answering Jesus as he asks us, “Will you follow me?”
Jesus said that if we want to be his disciples, we need to “deny [ourselves] and take up [our] cross daily and follow [him]” (Luke 9:23). He wants us to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). And in Hebrews 12:2, we are encouraged to “[fix] our eyes on Jesus.”
As our creator, God knows us from the inside out (Psalm 139) and has instilled in us passions, talents, and unique personalities. He has placed us on earth in our particular families and our particular circumstances. As we look to him first, will he reveal the path he has for us? Will he show us step by step the choices we should take?
Our decisions may not be limited to this or that, but God may have something beyond our imagination. Our first decision every day is whether we will listen and trust God’s direction.
Once I wised up and sought God on whether I should choose apple or pumpkin pie, the choices disappeared altogether. For me, God’s way was beyond my simplistic two options. As I released my future to him, God asked me to wait. He had something else in mind for me.
Of course, as you might have guessed, my big decision as a freshman in college was over two boys. Here’s what happened: By sophomore year, both boys were dating other girls. That year, deep in my studies with no boyfriend in sight, God spoke to my heart to start a girls' ministry with other college friends. Through dance and sign language, we had the opportunity to speak to countless young girls about true beauty, pain and hurt, purity, and integrity. Through this grassroots organization, God spoke his truth and love through us, but also to us. Little did I know that God was also preparing my future romantic intentions to focus on purity and integrity instead of worldly pleasure. By the time the boy who I would eventually marry seriously came into my life, I was ready to meet him with a confident, sure heart that only wanted whatever God wanted for me.
Now, several years later, I can clearly see God’s protection and provision in my past. But when I look at where I am in today’s circumstances, I wonder. I ask myself, Why has God placed me in this place within these circumstances? I don’t understand the path he has allowed me to take. But I know my past choices came out of a full desire to follow God’s lead for me. Today, I can continue to choose Christ and ask him what I can learn and who I can serve within these circumstances.
Maybe you feel the pressures of a decision you think you have to make. Maybe, like college-freshman me, you only see two options. But as you seek God first, may he lead you on the path he has for you. Isaiah 48:17 says, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”
And our response?
In faith, we seek and follow.
Questions for Journaling
As mentioned above, this piece was initially written as a journal prompt. The questions below are an invitation for you to ponder your own life. I’d love to hear about your experiences with this topic! Feel free to comment below or you can contact me via e-mail: AshleyCShannon@gmail.com
Is God the first priority in your life?
Have you asked God about the choices you make?
Are you choosing to trust God and follow him daily through reading the Bible, praying, and interacting with other believers?
Are you already receiving all that you need? Is the choice you are trying to make beyond what God would have for you?
Are you limiting God through your choices? Have you asked God to expand your mindset and see beyond the obvious choices?
As you fix your eyes on Jesus, what things does he have for you that you have not even considered? Does he want you to take a path less popular? What does he want you to remove? What does he want you to add?
I love a good analogy and the pies were a perfect one! I always enjoy reading others' "Ebenezers" and examples of how God showed up for them. It is a great reminder to all of us that His ways are often times outside the box as you say but always better than ours. Thank you for sharing!
Great journaling questions!