We are a mixed bag of thoughts and experiences and the product of a plethora of decisions. Where you live, your lifestyle, your physical and emotional self are a product of your response to the voices in your head. Let’s clarify the “voices” we’re referring to. When someone says they hear voices, we sometimes think schizophrenia, which the U.S. National Library of Medicine defines as a “a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder… [and sometimes] people with the disorder may hear voices other people don’t hear.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0024791/. This is not about hearing voices as one of the symptoms of a debilitating disease like schizophrenia, but the voices we hear when we’re thinking about something. When we ponder in our minds about a situation or a challenge we face or something coming up that we believe will bring us pleasure and we’re excited about it. We are constantly making decisions. Some decisions like washing your face or brushing your teeth are conducted without much thought because you take that action so frequently that you no longer spend time thinking about it. Other decisions require a little more thought and energy like what you want to eat or where you want to go/do for a special occasion. Then there are the decisions that come after much thought about your options or choices. You look at your choices as “pros and cons” which you weigh out before you make a decision.
Choices have voices. What voice are you listening to?
Have you heard someone say they thought about what their mom or dad would say to a particular choice and they did what they believed their mom or dad would have done or approved of? Have you heard someone say “the devil made me do it” and they’re in essence trying to shift the blame of deciding on a choice that had a negative consequence on something or someone else. A friend, colleague, and coach, Stone Love speaks to making “strength based decisions” using seven pillars or basic essentials necessary for clear-minded decisions. She helps her readers and clients through her book, speaking engagements and coaching programs to make decisions from a strengths-based position. http://stoneologys.com/speakers-page-decision-time-how-strength-based-decision-making-changes-everything/ When you have a decision to make, how do you sift through your choices to arrive at a decision?
Can you visualize a person who needs to make a decision and he has choices he’s sifting through? On one side, there’s an angel in white, whispering in the person’s ear and on the other side there’s a negative influence whispering too. God has given us the freedom to choose. We have the freedom to choose which voice to listen to as we make decisions. Our choices come from both external and internal influences. Past decisions shape our current choices. Life coach, Iyanla Vanzant says where we find our behinds, our minds put us there. Our minds, our thoughts lead us to take actions that bring us to where we are currently. Our past decisions put us where we are today. Those different voices speaking to you are a culmination of past experiences and current environment and circumstances, so what voice do you listen to?
Psalm 25:4 NLT encourages us to ask God to show us the path we should take. Then 1 John 5:14-15 NLT says we can be confident that when we ask the Lord for anything that is in His will, He will listen and grant us our desires.
So when you have a decision to make and you’ve reviewed all the choices, what voice do you listen to?
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