Last week, I mentioned that I would be reflecting on the 4 Ps of Promise; pivotal decisions, path, persistence, and perseverance.  Here we go with pivotal decisions.

Tomorrow we are moving our daughter, Maryneal, into her dorm room at UGA. She had dreamed of being a Bulldog for many years, but Maryneal made the pivotal decision last fall that set her on this course. As parents, we dreamed of Maryneal's promised future, her destiny, and here it is.

The Bible is full of stories that involve necessary pivotal decisions to live within the promises of God. Abraham and Sarah pivoted their lives in order to follow God in the promise of covenant. Moses invited the children of Israel to make a pivotal decision when they prepared to enter the land that God had promised Abraham and Sarah. He said, "...I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse, therefore choose life that you and your descendants may live!" (Deuteronomy 30: 19).

 The tax collector Zacchaeus was invited to pivot his life through a decision when our Lord beaconed to him: "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today!"  (Luke 19: 5) You probably know the rest of the story of how this up-a-tree cheat turned his life around and reconciled with those he had cheated.

Scripture teaches us how pivotal decisions can be simply profound in shaping the course of our lives. However, let's not forget that while decisions are formative they ultimately aren't burdened with the make-it/break-it quality with which we often burden them. So often these pivotal decisions are preceded with decisions that just didn't seem to pan out. Could it be that pivotal decisions rest on a foundation of both successful and failed decisions? If so, there is hope for us all and isn't that what's at the heart of the scriptural stories I referenced above?!!

If so, we can proceed along the next of the 4 Ps: path. Talk to you next week.

Prayer for Today

God of promise, grant us the wisdom of your Holy Spirit to place our trust in you so that as we make pivotal decisions in our lives.  We trust that we are striving to live the life you are calling us to live. Amen.