If you have ever read and loved a Paulo Coehlo or Florence Scovel Shinn book, then this book, The Will of God as a Way of Life by Jerry Sitter, will be yet another “aha moment” for you after you read it! This book has totally become the exhale of all of my worries of questions like, “Did I choose the right job, should I have quit my job, did I choose the right mate, was that choice I made three years ago God’s will or mine and how or when will I know the answers to my questions?”
I knew I was not alone in my questioning as I have talked with so many friends who had similar stressors about if they were making the right decisions, should they go back to school, if they should have taken Job A over Job B, and how do they stop themselves from drowning in their own “what ifs”? I love this book, because it creates dialogue surrounding questions like” Is God so mean that he would cut us off from the good plans he has for us just because we make ONE ‘wrong’ decision?
The author Jerry Sitter boldly makes the statement that there are no right or wrong decisions when it comes to God’s will as long as we are constantly seeking God in all that we do. He says as a result of doing so, ultimately, “all things will work together for our good.” Sitter recognizes that how we choose to respond (whether in thought or in actions) to our decisions, roles, or question(s) are all contingent on 3 things: 1. The quality of our Character 2. The depth of our Convictions and 3. Our competency. Which means, there is a need to be in tuned with ourselves in order to search for our core in what we want and/or need for ourselves and to evaluate how it will impact others around us as we study the Word and as our understanding to our questions evolve? The author challenges us to depart from our conventional way of thinking of how we measure success versus failure and look more into how God measures it by shifting one’s perspective, trusting in God and through prayer. These highlighted reminders helped me personally through a new chapter in my life, as the author explains, as it has a way of changing the course of our future.
This book is a fresh reminder for us to just breathe! In order for us to live we must inhale and exhale. Inhale traumas, finances, loss, relationships, and ‘failures’; yet God extends grace, speaks to us though self -reflections, books, mentors, friends, small groups, and etc. to help us learn how to cope, balance, and exhale the worries we had.
I implore you to put this book on your 2016 reading list and remember: The will of God will not take you where the grace of God will not protect you. Be Blessed.
Starving Christians 