I wonder what this morning looked like in heaven. It’s Sunday and everything inside me was stampeding off to the last day of the writer’s conference – well, almost everything. I felt I needed to go to finish off a great weekend. There were more great connections I wanted to make – one time opportunities. I had a thousand reasons to go, and only one reason not to: I’d miss church.
You should have seen me. I was in such internal conflict. Should I go? Shouldn’t I go? Both sides had very valid reasons in my head. I asked for God’s guidance and received confusion. Thanks. I asked for signs and got them for both ways. I literally drove in circles: to the conference; no, to church; no, the conference; no, to church. Left and right, round and round.
I finally stopped, and in frustration asked God, “which is it: go to the conference or go to church?” In that instant it was obvious which one should have the highest priority.
I suddenly had this image of heaven with the demons on one side and angels on the other, like the fans at a football game. “And he’s off to church!” Half the stands are on their feet, angles have leapt into the air and are flapping above the crowd. Feathers are everywhere. “Oh no, he’s off to the conference,” the angels sit down, the howls and horns split the air on the other side. “Back and forth, back and forth; what a game!”
As it turns out there was a friend looking for me at church that day. He had needed some advice on a very touchy spiritual situation that affected his whole family – a situation that I happen to have a lot of prior experience with. God wanted me there. Satan definitely did not. I hate to think of the lifelong damage that could have resulted if I had not gone.
I have heard that when you are in a dilemma, the more difficult decision is the right one. More importantly, I must remember that God supersedes all circumstances. We can come up with all kinds of great reasons why it’s OK to fudge a little on the spiritual stuff. Are you afraid something bad will happen or you you’ll miss out on or lose something important? Don’t do it. God can give you a hundred times what you think you’ll lose and overcome whatever you think will happen.