Hearing God When Decisions Feel Overwhelming.

Do you ever wish you could be a kid again, back when you did not have to make decisions? Some days, even deciding what is for dinner can feel overwhelming. I laugh about it, but you know exactly what I mean.

What do you do when you genuinely do not know what decision to make, when you are unsure which path to take? Adulting can be challenging with the little things, and it feels even heavier when you are facing a big, life-changing decision. And I am not talking about what to put on your pizza, even though that can cause a family-fun-night scuffle. There have been many seasons in my life when I was desperately seeking God’s will, and I could not see the path. I remember praying and praying, feeling like I could not possibly pray any harder. I did not understand why God was not answering or giving me clear direction. What I eventually learned surprised me. It was not about God at all.

I began to realize that I was too far away to hear Him. My mind was overwhelmed with negativity and the weight of worldly expectations. When everything is loud inside us, it is hard to listen to a gentle, guiding voice.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone.

As women, we all face important decisions, and the women who came before us were no exception. Your mother made choices that shaped your life and your siblings’ lives. Your great-grandmother made decisions that affected your grandmother. And the women of the Bible made choices that impacted generations.

Faithful Ruth

One of my favorite examples is Ruth. I do not know about you, but I am not sure I would have chosen to stay with my mother-in-law after my husband’s death. Naomi even gave Ruth the choice to leave. She told her to return home and begin again. Ruth could have let the decision be made for her. But because Ruth stayed close to God, she knew in her heart that leaving Naomi was not the right path. She said that where Naomi went, she would go, and that Naomi’s God would be her God. She already knew what God was asking of her.

Ruth did not worry about what her friends thought, and I can promise you she was not looking for approval or agreement from others. She understood that if she returned to Moab, she would be moving farther from God. She knew that distance would affect her future and the future of generations to come.

Ruth’s decision is such a powerful reminder for us. When we stay close to God, we can hear Him more clearly, even when we do not know what the future holds and even when the decision feels overwhelming. The world is loud. There are opinions everywhere, constant comparisons, and countless voices claiming their way is the right way.

So how do we know what is true and what is right?

Scripture gives us the answer in Romans 12:2: we are not to conform to the patterns of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds so we can understand God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will.

We can retrain our minds to recognize truth. As Christians, we have a guide that teaches us right from wrong and helps us discern the path that leads to life and peace. Just as Ruth did, we can learn to recognize which decisions draw us closer to God and which pull us away.

You can unravel the lies and self-sabotage that create doubt and overwhelm. Keep learning. Keep going. Keep growing.

Robin