How to Avoid Unnecessary struggles

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” — Proverbs 4:26 (KJV)

We often face unnecessary struggles as a result of the choices we make in life. These choices may seem good in the moment. They may feel exciting, convenient, or even harmless. However, some decisions eventually come back to bite us.

Then, once the consequences appear, we pray to God, looking for Him to hit “undo” and magically make the problem disappear. We want Him to reverse the decision, remove the consequences, and restore everything to the way it was before.

However, God is not a magical “undo” button.

God may forgive, guide, strengthen, and help us recover, but that does not mean every consequence will immediately disappear. Sometimes we still have to live with what our choices created. We may have to rebuild what was damaged, regain someone’s trust, or work our way out of a situation we could have avoided.

This is why we must seek God’s guidance before making important decisions, not only after things have gone wrong. Some decisions can change the course of our lives forever. The person we marry, the debt we take on, the opportunities we accept or reject, the words we speak, and the habits we develop can affect us for years.

Prevention is better than damage control.

It is easier to avoid certain problems than it is to repair the damage they cause. A few days of prayer, research, reflection, and patience may save us from years of regret. We cannot foresee everything, but we can become more intentional about the choices we make.

God has given us prayer, wisdom, discernment, experience, and the ability to learn. We should use all of them before stepping into decisions that may change our lives forever. Instead of always asking God to rescue us from the consequences of our choices, we should also ask Him to help us make choices from which we will not need to be rescued.