How many of us have a hard time at trying to figure out what exactly the "right" thing to do is? I mean, we know that as Christians (and just a good person in general) that the right thing is always the best option. The thing is...how do you REALLY know if you are doing the right thing?
I have learned (and am still learning of course) a lot of life lessons during my break. And one thing that I learned is that sometimes, we often associate the right thing with a feeling. You know, if it feels right, then it must be right. Right? WRONG. Listen, I know that modern culture teaches us to satisfy our flesh and do what gives us satisfaction, but that is not always the right thing to do. In fact, what I have discovered from personal revelations and experiences in the Bible, is that the right thing often feels wrong. It feels stupid! It feels and seems ridiculous...but that's how you know you are doing God's will and not your own.
A great story that relates to this context is the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. Now if you are bible reader, you know that this story is full of drama! Because while God had promised Sarah and Abraham a baby, they were really old and this caused Sarah to take matters into her own hands by telling Abraham to sleep with servant Hagar. (Read Genesis 16) So of course, this leads to a baby being made named Ishmael. Later down the line, Sarah actually gets pregnant and their son Isaac is born. And everything is great...until Ishmael was caught by Sarah making fun of her son, Isaac. (Genesis 21:9) This makes her so mad, that she says in Genesis 21:10 "Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won't have it" [NLT].
Now this puts Abraham in a real hard place. Because yes Isaac is his son, but so is Ishmael. He did not want to send them away. I can imagine that at this moment, he was upset and confused. However, God tells Abraham in Genesis 21:12 to listen to his wife and send them away, because since Ishmael is his son, he'll take care of him just like he will Isaac. So Abraham obeys and the next morning, gets up and sends Hagar and Ishmael on their way.
It's a great thing that Abraham was obedient! But you guys, I bet before when he first got the instruction from Sarah, he was thinking "is that really the right thing to do?" I mean, that was his son and he was basically being told to send him and the mother on their way and not worry about them. Surely that felt really uncomfortable for Abraham. But he did it. Why? Because his obedience and faith in what God promised him was way more important than what he thought about the situation. So in the end, what didn't feel right was actually the right thing to do!
I know that we live in a confused society. Culture makes us believe that what feels good is good for you. But you guys, that is an inaccurate statement. The truth is, the right thing to do is usually the least favorable option. The right thing to do usually seems wrong at first, and it may even cause you to second guess yourself! I know when I made a big decision a few months ago, I kept thinking that I made the wrong choice. Why? Because it did not feel good! I mean, I felt so out of my comfort zone and was not getting the results I expected. I thought to myself " God, I made the wrong decision! This don't feel good at all!" But it was good FOR me. The decision caused me to have so much success and breakthrough that I never would have saw coming. So yeah, I know now that most of the time when we get that twinge of discomfort in us about a decision...we are usually doing the right thing.
The next time you are faced with a decision and not sure if you made the right choice, think about Jesus. I'm sure he did not think that he was making the right decision when he was literally suffering and being humiliated on the cross. But it was the best decision of mankind! Remember:
Right doesn't always feel right. It may feel dumb or it may not make sense...and that's how you know God is in it. Cause that's where your faith kicks in instead of logic.
You may not have peace instantly from making the right decisions...but God will bring you peace about the decision at the right time! Remember His timing is perfect. So don't worry; the discomfort will transform into contentment right when it needs to. :)
LEAVE YOUR FEELINGS OUT OF IT! Go back and read the story of Abraham. Your feelings are invalid when it comes to doing what is right. The heart is deceitful, so don't make decisions off of feelings. Trust God and allow him to lead you in your decisions.
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