Families face many hard situations. Here’s how to make good decisions to bless your family (when when it’s hard).
decision-making in your Christian family
Sometimes, the things we want and plan don’t wind up lining up with what God seems to be asking us to do.
As a Christian family, we know that sacrifice will be a part of family life. And when our deepest goal is to follow Jesus and do what is truly best for our family, it sometimes means making decisions that put a hold on our personal desires or plans.
Hard stuff. Important stuff. So how do you go about making these difficult decisions? How do you move forward when there might be some disappointment? That’s what we’re talking about today.
Let’s dive in.
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resources for you
If today’s topic is meaningful to you, these resources will give some additional support as you seek to love your Christian family well:
- 5 Tools Every Busy Mom Needs to Move Her Family From Autopilot to Intimacy is a great FREE 5-day email course to give you biblical encouragement and a real-life action plan.
- Finding Your Identity in Christ is a devotional workbook that will give deep roots to your sense of purpose and identity.
[This post may contain affiliate links. If a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.]
Have you ever felt a little bit stuck with what’s going on for your family?
Um… of course! We all hit that point in our family life. Really, in regular everyday personal life too. It can be a hard thing to recognize that something needs to change, but you really don’t want to do what might be necessary.
These decisions, conversations, and changes can be really tough. But we want to do what is truly best for our family. So how do we get there?
4 steps for decision-making
1. Start by bringing in people you trust to help you process, brainstorm, and think.
This certainly will include the Lord: go to him in prayer, lay it all out, cry and wrestle and wait and ask. Seek his wisdom. This should also include your husband, and may also include friends, a pastor, or a Christian counselor. Getting different (trustworthy) perspectives can be helpful for a Christian family.
2. Embrace humility in the difficulty of decision making.
No matter what issue you are struggling with, the Lord will use this experience to humble you. He may convict you of a sin or ask you to put a personal preference, desire, or goal on hold. He may teach you something about his call to sacrifice for the good of others. Be willing to walk with him deeper into humility.
3. Use helpful tools or activities to help you make decisions.
Perhaps this is a pros/cons list. Sometimes, in the counseling room, I’ll help people paint a very clear picture of what they want the important areas of life to look like in a few years time (family life, marriage, work, etc.) and then evaluate the options on the table today by what will move you closest to that goal. Helpful activities will also include spiritual disciplines such as deep Bible study, prayer, or fasting.
4. Once you've made a decision, take action.
It’s okay to feel disappointment, frustration, or sadness at making a big change. Especially if you have to put a personal goal or desire to the side in order to do what is best for your Christian family! But often, taking the plunge into action helps to smooth out the process. It’s not easy, but you can walk forward in confidence that you are following God and doing the best thing for the people you love.
Making Good Decisions Matters For Your Christian Family... But Why?
Friday Faith Follow-up
It’s not really about making “difficult” decisions. It’s ultimately about making GOOD decisions. Healthy decisions. Biblical, godly decisions.
You’re here because you want to enjoy family life. And I’m here for the same reasons!
So, jump into this shorter follow-up episode and let’s consider together WHY it matters that we’re making good decisions today – not only for the good of our families, but for God’s glory and our good as well.
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Hugs & blessings to you, my friend! I’ll talk to you soon.
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While I am a licensed therapist, my podcast, blog, and resources are not professional therapy. I am an affiliate with many of the resources that I recommend (because I love them!) which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my provided links, at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclaimer here.
