This well meaning phrase parrotted by Christians has always annoyed me. It is usually an easy way out for folks who just don’t want to say ‘no’. I always wonder if they are really going to sincerely take the question to the Lord, or if they are just buying time to make a decision, which would be fine if they were honest about it. I prefer to live my life much more simply. My view is that you really don’t need to go to God for every little choice you make in life. I believe that He gives you all of what you need to make the choices that are presented to you. He gives you wisdom when you ask for it, discernment when you need it, and puts good counsel in your path when there are difficult decisions to be made. He has also given you the Holy Spirit as a guide. What’s more, He gives you grace to cover mistakes when you make poor decisions, and frequently seems to enjoy turning bad things into good. This idea that you need to seek ‘God’s Will’ on every little decision has frequently been turned into an excuse to not do anything, or at least to procrastinate. I look at God’s will as more of a broad sort of tapestry rather than a bunch of individual threads. We have a mandate to love one another. That seems challenging enough to me.

As a Christian in business, there are many opportunities that are presented to us in life. As an entrepreneur, I’m created in such a way that I can’t say no to opportunities. I am always saying ‘yes’ or at the very least ‘maybe’. I try to be honest with people when I need time to consider an opportunity. There is a time value in decision making that comes into play as well, where execution is critical if I want to take advantage of opportunities when they are presented to me. In business, sometimes opportunities are lost in a matter of minutes or hours, not days or weeks… and so if I don’t trust my experience, and if I’m not willing to live with the chance that I might fail or make a poor decision I might miss what God has for me as a result. Of course, He has grace for me there as well.