When People Disagree with your Life Decisions

I recently made a scary yet quite thrilling life decision. Numerous people reacted pretty strongly to my decision. They disagreed. When people you care about aren't on board and you are attempting something new, it can be confusing and a little disheartening. But as I reflect on all this, I realize I am no stranger to rebelling. Rebelling in a good way. When I have sought God and walked and prayed through big life changes with Him, He has always been there. Stepping out in faith, into the unknown, can yield some big blessings in our lives. 

A few ways that I have (so-called) rebelled against the popular opinion:

- My husband and I married young and before we finished college 

-We decided to try for a fourth baby after having twins

-We home educate our children

- We walked away from a church community we grew up in

Someone always voiced their opinion. Someone always disagreed.  While it has not always been easy, greater good has come from all of these above life decisions. If I have gleaned any wisdom from going against the norm, it's that God is good, His Word, the Bible leads to true freedom and He wants the very best for us but sometimes we don't see that unless we choose to trust Him, we choose the scary step. 

 We all want to feel as if our choices are the right choice, that we are living wisely and making a difference. We want people to agree, to admire us and affirm us but that's not always reality and I want to encourage you to listen to one voice. Because God has spoken. He delights in the little details of your life.  He made you on purpose for a purpose and listening to His voice can ultimately bring peace, excitement, joy, abundance and adventure. He will not desire something that is contradictory to what He has revealed in His Word. So that is the best place to start when seeking wisdom. Sometimes God doesn't relay His specific opinion, but for me I felt I had to err on the fact that God had been preparing me for this leap of faith.

 Thankfully, God doesn't just leave us to figure out the truth of His Word all out on our own, He gives us His Holy Spirit to help us interpret His thoughts. If you don't believe the Bible is authoritatively true maybe start with this post. 

Hearing that I was making the wrong choice this time around felt especially hard. Maybe it's because I'm rounding 40 and got my big girl pants on or maybe it's because the decision is a smidge intimidating. In the end, my decision came down to trust. And obedience. The Bible fully upended the idea that my particular choice was foolish. 

 Time and time again we can see that God does call His people to do things that feel impossible: to walk on water, face the giant, speak the truth in love, forgive, sacrifice, share our faith, do justice and fight for the least of these. To stand with Him. 

But before God calls us to the seemingly impossible, we must know that God is God. And that we simply are not.  Our first role and our primary command in any decision is to love God. If we abide or rely on Him then we will prove to be His disciples. You see, a spiritual life and faith necessitates a reliance on the Holy Spirit. Christianity is not white-knuckling it. Or just getting saved and working hard. Any anxiety inducing thing can be countered with a simple decision to rely on and to be connected to Jesus. To say okay yes, this is big but my God is bigger.

And what gratitude we can have when God does call us out into the storm , if our eyes are fixed on Him then we can be people that see amazing things. I don't know about you but for me this is so freeing. The same God that calls us to walk on water is the same one that reaches out for us when we sink. (Matthew 14)  The same God that sent our rescuer.

Choosing the easier thing may result in us wandering in the wilderness. Missing out on the land the Lord wants to give us. Can I encourage you to immerse your mind on the  truth. Read the Bible and remind yourself that God's ways are best, He is doing the work. He promises His power, provision and protection. What else do we need?  Apart from Him we can do nothing. With Him as a our leader we lack no thing. 

I made the scary decision simply with envisioning the end of my life. I truly want to stand before the Lord and thank Him for all of my life and I want to look Him in the eye and for Him to know my heart and that I did my very best with Him and for Him. That I regularly chose to obey Him rather than men.

While life is never perfect and there are things I will simply never understand, one thing has become crystal clear. God's ways for people are best. The Bible brings peace hope and freedom. Good godly rebelling not only leads to adventure it can display God's heart for you in very specific ways. 

Now when people say to me: "wow you look young to have been married for so long," I respond by saying thank you, I am so grateful to have grown up with my husband. Now when others say wow you home school? God bless you!" I often respond by saying He really has and in huge, specific ways through homeschooling my kids. And when people remark that I have four kids?! I smile and look at my only son whom I wouldn't trade for the entire universe. 

And for a long time I questioned if we should have left our church community but now I see, my worship is deeper, my faith is steadier and I have seen the character of our good God more fully.  God has placed me under good authority that regularly points my family to Him. I am more at home and aware of what God is doing and I sure don't want to miss out.

All of these blessings are God's doing. Not mine. What an adventure the Christian life can be.

Friends if you want to do something scary but God deems it good and God claims you have freedom(and we always do) then tune your heart to love Him and hold on for the adventure that He has given you!

Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God whose word I praise - in God I trust and am not afraid . What can mere mortals do to me?

.