Hello... God? Are you up there?

Are you going through a time in your life when you need to hear God's voice?

Do you find yourself wishing that God used e-mail and could send you the following words of encouragement?

Hello my child.....I'm here....you are doing everything right and you are on the right track...keep going.....Love, God.

Wouldn't it be great to find that in your mailbox? How about this one.....


Hello my child.....I'm here....you are a little off course, but if you will just do what your sister says and not what your brother is telling you, everything will work out great.


I don't know how many times you have prayed for those e-mails - but I've prayed for them a lot!

Once reality sets in and we realize that there are no e-mails from God, we are left with only one question.....how can I be perfect in my choices.

Here's a few tips:

1. You can't ever be "perfect" in your choices. Concentrate on ones that will change your life. Who will I marry? How many children should I have? How can I avoid big diseases? What church will I attend? How many hours should I study my Bible?

I'm not sure God really cares if you live on 1st street on on 16th. He does care if you are overextended or if you are so selfish you won't give $2 to feed the poor.

For the choices that aren't that life changing, get all the information you can, pray, be wise and then do what you think is best.

For the choices that "are" life changing, get even more information - especially from people who will disagree with you. Pray AND fast. We wise and use a great tool.....be patient and wait a while to let the information sink in. Then make the best possible decision and pray for God's help in doing your best.

2. Remember that it's wise not to paint yourself in a corner if you can help it. Marriage and children are not choices that will leave you options so you must take more precaution than normal.

But with other choices, if you can leave some "wiggle" room and still be committed to your decision - that's just smart. For example, you follow the instructions above and you decide to go into business with a friend buying old houses and fixing them up for resale. Everything goes wrong and you are sure that if you continue with this venture you will not only use all your savings and possibly not be able to recoup anything - but it also might put you into debt or bankruptcy. If you have left some "wiggle" room, you might be able to pull out of it without further problems.

I've known people that make such a big deal about a possible move (new business, new job or new location) that when it doesn't work out they are too embarrassed to change back to their previous situation. If they had kept it quiet or at least said, "I may be back if it doesn't work out", the wiggle room would have allowed them to retreat with grace.

Besides, that type of wiggle room sometimes allows us to actually grow in the situation. Because we don't feel trapped, it's easier to look around and accept the lessons God is trying to teach us.

3. Realize that God's will often is more of a process than a specific road. For a clearer picture simply ask yourself - Why am I here?

If you believe that God put you here to get a job, find a spouse, have two kids, buy a house and then die --- God's will really doesn't matter.

But if you believe that God is trying to help you become the beautiful person he created you be...

to learn how you fit in the working of this world....

to know that the world around you is different because you were here....

to become more like Jesus....and to lead the way for others to find God...,

....then you are in a process not on a specific road.

With that type of thinking you can make most decisions on your own with the realization that you need to learn how to make those decisions and that you must be careful with them --- but you can make them.

With that type of thinking you will be able to see clearly which decisions will change your life or the lives of those you love. Since you aren't letting the little decisions stress you out, you can concentrate all of your energies on ones that do matter.

4. Be willing to see the value in U-turns. When someone asked Edison if he ever felt like a failure (it took something like 437 failures before he came up with the light bulb -(not in my office so I can't check the pure facts), he responded...I've never failed a day in my life. I simply know 437 ways NOT to make a light bulb.

That's how we should look at our life.
Don't be insincere about pain or sorrow.
Don't waste any part of any day being stupid about your life.
Don't you dare fly on auto pilot just letting life take you wherever the wind blows.
But do look at problems in your life as a learning tool for making better decisions in the future.

Accept where you are now. Do all you can to change your situation - if possible. And then use what you've learned to make better decisions in the future.

5. Do the one thing that makes all of life better. Pray for wisdom. Develop such a close relationship with God that you feel him guiding you all the way. Make sure you are willing to let Him guide you. Make sure that you can hear God's voice and that you will not only hear it - but heed it.

Ask God to help you become the best person you can be. A person that He can trust and a person that He would want as his best friend. Ask God to be closer to you that your dearest love. Then trust him as he leads you and helps you to grow.

I'll be praying for you.

God loves you,

Debbie