Henry Ford was famous for saying you could have a Ford Model A in whatever color you wanted — as long as it was black. We have come a long way since Mr. Ford offered such a limited choice. Have you tried to buy a car lately? Not only can you choose the color of your car, you can choose the color of the trim, the interior color and fabric, the type of tires and wheels, the size of the engine — you can spend days trying to put together your dream car.
And this dizzying opportunity of options has exploded in every area of our lives. We can choose whole milk, 2%, and no fat milk. Of course there is chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavored milk. We can buy French cuff shirts, button down or open collar — there are multiple options for every aspect of our lives. Even Bibles! Many new Christians complain to me that they went to a buy a Bible and couldn’t decide which one to buy because there were too many choices!
Experts are beginning to worry that now we actually have too many choices. People have actually become paralyzed because of their inability to make all of the choices certain decisions require. Life, in some ways, has simply gotten too complicated.
How do you get past this? Believe it or not, the answer starts with you. Because many of us don’t know who we are and haven’t really thought about where we’re going, every decision causes a certain amount of anxiety. Throughout the day, these little anxieties add up to an exhausting frustration.
In my book, The Gospel of Yes, I talk about how each of us has a Yes in Christ and once we know that Yes, everything else becomes No. Actually, discovering the person whom Christ created you to be and the purpose for which you were created frees you from the paralysis of having to make decisions over and over again. Your choices are actually boiled down to two questions; first, does this action/opportunity reflect who I am in Christ? Second, does this action/opportunity bring me closer to the purposes for which I was created?
Let me give you an example. I have been married to Jeannie for 32 years. Thirty-two years ago, I said “Yes” to Jeannie and that, of course, meant I said “No” to every other relationship. As I go through my day, my only questions are these: does this action bring me closer to Jeannie (like buying her flowers). If the answer is “Yes” then I buy the flowers. If the answer is “No” I don’t do it.
The main reason many of us are stuck is that we have never taken the time to figure out who we are and determine where we’re going. As a Christ-follower, I believe we know ourselves best in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since He is the One who created us, He is the One who knows us best. In getting to know Christ, we come to know ourselves. This liberates us to lives as our authentic selves, free from the false freedom of choices that distract us from a life of meaning and purpose.
How about it?
Do you know who you are?
Do you know where you’re going?
Make these choices first. Then, you can make all of the others.
