Making a Decision
Author Anonymous
Johnny had a rough life. His parents were divorced and he had a decision to make: should he live with his dad or with his mom. His parents lived too far away from each other so he was not able to split the time between the two. Another reason he had to pick which parent to live with was because it would decide what school he went to.
His father was a Christian, and if he lived with him he knew that he would have to follow more rules and go to a Christian school. His dad also went to church every Sunday and Johnny knew he would have to go if he decided to live with him.
Johnny's mother was not a Christian and did not want him to go to a Christian school. He would have to go to one of the public schools by his mom's house. He also knew that she would not be as strict when it came to things like grades, curfew, and other rules around the house.
Johnny had a big decision to make. The court date was approaching rapidly and he still could not decide what he was going to do. He talked to his friends, and being teenagers, most of them told him to stay with his mom. Even with the advice of his friends Johnny did not know if he could completely give up the Lord. He knew that if he were to live with his mom he would fall away from the Lord and could quite possibly lose his faith completely. Each parent was able to have Johnny stay with them for one week so that Johnny could see what it would be like. First, he stayed at his mom's. He had a blast all week long and did not have to worry about getting in trouble for any of the things that he did. When he went to his dad's however, it was a completely different situation. His dad laid down ground rules which included chores, curfew, and going to church on Sunday. Although Johnny could not live the wild lifestyle that he did at his mom's, he still enjoyed his time with his dad.
The court day was less than twenty-four hours away now. Johnny still had not made up his mind. It was his time at church that helped him to see what he needed to do. He came to the realization that he could not live without the Lord. He made his decision and decided he would stay with his dad.
That morning was one that Johnny would never forget. His decision hit his mom hard. She became furious and started throwing things at Johnny's dad. She claimed that he brainwashed Johnny and that Johnny was not thinking straight. She became so violent she had to be escorted out of the court room.
A few years later I saw Johnny again. After talking with him for awhile he told me that he knew in his heart that he made the right decision. He said that even though he did not see his mom much anymore, he knew that if he would have gone to live with her he would have lost the most important thing in his life - His faith in the Lord. He found comfort in the one place he knew he could always go to no matter what was happening in his life. That place was God and his Word. The Lord was always there for him and helped him to make the right decision. God tells us in Matthew 28:20 - "...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Johnny found comfort from this even when he had to make one of the hardest decisions in his life. I hope that you too will be able to go to the Lord for comfort, and will see that he is always there to guide you through whatever comes your way. What an Awesome God!