Day #126

May 6, 2014

A friend asked me today what they should do about a particular situation. They gave me their perspective of what was going on, the event that needed their decision about attending, then said, what should I do? Tell me, my pastor friend, what should I do?

Now that is a tough spot for anyone to be in - to be asked to help someone else make a decision about their life that has potential for rippling consequences. What happens if I tell them something and it doesn’t work out? It could because I don’t have all the facts, I don’t know the perspective from the other person's viewpoint, and my friend and I have different values and life experiences. Is there ever a good time to tell someone what to do?

Well, there may be instances that require stepping out in faith and speaking in Christian love. But my response is often more along the lines of asking the important questions to help someone else make a decision. What might be the outcome if you did this or that? What do you hope happens if you decide one way or another? How would you feel if you were the recipient of your decision? Those kinds of things.

But, just tell me what I should do, they said again. In this case, I couldn’t. I didn’t have all the facts needed to make a wise decision. But the more we talked, the more the person began to ask, what should I do as a Christian? What response is the most Christ-like? There we go. Where I often don’t think I’m qualified to tell someone else what to do, I certainly believe in Who is. And He is always right there with us to help.

Blessings.