We live in a day and society of great privilege. This can be a tremendous blessing and gives us millions of great opportunities for our lives that most people in most times and places only dreamed of. But it also can be a curse to have so many good opportunities. There are so many good things that we can do and be a part of that we can not possibly do them all... in fact, we will only ever do a fraction of them all.
Most of the time, choosing is not about choosing between a good and a bad choice, it is about choosing between a good and a better choice. Every choice we make, by necessity, means we are not choosing hundreds of other options. Every activity you engage in means you are not engaging in dozens of other activities you could be engaging in.
Many of us suffer from picking the first good thing that comes along instead of evaluating the good things that come against other good opportunities to discover which one is best. If Satan can't get you to do something horrible he will simply get you to do something wasteful. If he can't tempt you to do something bad, he will get you to do something decent but that keeps you from the great things God has for you.
Yes, we need
the ability to choose between good and evil, but then we must develop the ability to choose
between good and better. As Jim Collins says, "Good is the enemy of
great."
The Bible is constantly encouraging us to choose the better of two good options. Here are just a couple of examples:
Prov. 16:16 “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get
understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
Ecclesiastes 4:6 “And yet, “Better to have one handful with
quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind.”
Remember that every choice is not just a “yes” to one option but a “no” to thousands of other options. Learning not only to choose the good but to choose the best is a skill that will help you make great decisions.
