I met with a friend this week to be a sounding board for a huge life-changing decision. It was exciting to hear about all the options and opportunities that God opened for he and his family. After the conversation though, I realized what was put on the table would be helpful for anyone that may be thinking of making significant changes in their life.
The following are healthy questions to ask before making a substantial life change:
#1 Is this a wise choice? Solomon, a man to be reputed as the wisest person in the world was not just wise. He was wealthy. And He was influential. So when asking the question, “Is this a wise choice?” it’s always good to ask that question through the grid of your finances and your influence. That is, if your choice will cause you to go into deep debt it’s probably not a wise choice. If your decision will cause you to have a wider audience so that you might make much of Jesus to greater amounts of people, it may be a wise choice.
#2 Will this choice help you move towards your long-term goals? Of course this question is predicated upon the assumption you have long-term goals and not just a bunch of unrealistic whims. Let me illustrate it this way…if you have a long-term goal of being the president of a University then taking a great paying job at Exxon/Mobile Gas may be a great opportunity but it will not move you closer to your goal. However, if you have the option of working for Exxon/Mobile and at the same time have an opportunity to work for a growing University system, the University job would obviously move you closer to your goal.
#3 Is it good for your family? Now this question is counter-intuitive. Meaning, you have to be careful not to look through the lens of America and prosperity and some western dream that has been planted in you by the culture. So for an opportunity to be “good” for your family it will simply have to be defined by you. That is, more money and better retirement options are not necessarily good for your family. Perhaps going on the mission field to connect with an unreached people group, while dangerous, will be “good” for your family.
Of course throughout all these questions we have to weave in another question. This question, while often subjective, is the most important. “God, what do you want me to do?” The reason this question is so important is because sometimes conventional wisdom (1 Corinthians 1) will not do. At other times we feel stalled out and are unsure of long-term goals. And to be honest, sometimes we just need God to come by His Spirit and tell us what is best for our family.
