Years ago a woman at church shared something I have always remembered. She commented on how many decisions we make every day, in the thousands, without even thinking. It struck me how much autonomy we have over our lives in the small and large decisions, and even the automatic ones. So many things we think of as reflexes are really small decisions, made in the blink of an eye.
It got me thinking. Thinking about decisions I make daily, without much thought. Or the ones I give a passing thought, little decisions, seemingly inconsequential. Of course, we cannot agonize over every decision, but if we bring to consciousness some of our knee-jerk decisions, won’t we have less conflict, get more done, stay closer to God during the day, trust more instead of worrying? Wouldn’t we live according to our values more often, weigh the value of spending time with this versus that?
Gets kind of overwhelming, doesn’t it?
Yet it’s freeing too. It’s freeing because I’ve been entrusted with this day and all the little things, as well as the big, and the tiny. While I don’t want to stress about it, I am empowered by the potential this brings. Maybe I’m strange, but I love the idea of potential, of growth, of possibilities. And if I bring more consciousness to my day, maybe it will be shaped into more of what I’d like it to be.
What a gift we’ve been given, this decision-making ability. It’s a great trust, since God knows we don’t always use it wisely. Yet it’s freely ours. As I operate moment by moment under His loving guidance, he gives me plenty of space to move about and activate whatever is in front of me. This makes each day a potential adventure.
“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” Psalm 37:5