The Best Stupid Decision I've Ever Made

"Why on EARTH did I do that?"  You say to yourself as you flop on the couch.  Your stomach seems to sink to the floor in agreement.  Every word from every person who's given you 'friendly advice' over the past few weeks pops into your head all at once, and with each random opinion you feel dizzier and dizzier.

You've done it again.

The same thing seems to happen all the time.  An opportunity arises, whether it's an opportunity to start something new, an opportunity to leave something behind, or an opportunity to stay the same, and you always seem to blow it.  You go to others and seek advice like you're supposed to, but what everyone else is doing just...doesn't feel right.  Now you have the judgement of the world raining down on you like a hail storm, and it is rocking your boat BIG TIME.

"I should have just done what everyone else would have done, and left it at that!  Why can't I just make a NORMAL choice for once instead of constantly messing things up?!?"

Deep inside, you know you're probably making the right decision.  I mean, you prayed about it, and you felt right about it... That is, until you heard what everyone else had to say.  Now it just seems like your whole world is crashing down.  And by the looks your friends, and even your elders, gave you, it's all your fault.

"Lord, what do I do?"

This is a pretty familiar scenario for me...

Seriously though, a very familiar scenario.  From choosing to follow my artistic and "impractical" dreams of being an author and theatre director as a career, to deciding not to go to college right after high school, my world seems to be full of decisions that the world calls "stupid".  If I had a dime for every person who's given me the "don't wait too long to go to college" speech, or the "have you ever considered a more useful career, like teaching?" speech, I would be rolling in the dough.  And even though, yeah, these kind of speeches are always given to me, I've only really learned one thing from them...

The cost of listening is just too high

What I mean by that is this: How many times have you been pressured into something you knew you didn't want just because it was a societal norm?

The answer for me would be, well, more times than I would care to admit.  And I can tell you that each and every yes that I wished to be a no, and every no that I longed to be a yes, was just not worth the price.  I was following the advice of the people around me, and doing what they thought was the "smart" or "safe" decision.  But let's be honest, when has God ever asked anyone to play it safe???

A prime example would be my relationship experiences thus far, since that seems to be the area I have the most struggle with.  It's not exactly a soap opera, but I definitely have some interesting stories to tell.  But that's another blog post for another time.  

Although I'm heading toward the end of my teenage years, I'm still a teenager.  And that realm is all about relationships.  If you're not with someone, there's something wrong, and you should put yourself out there.  Right?

Wrong.

That lesson didn't come easy though.  Throughout middle and high school I listened to my friends, my acquaintances, and anyone else who was outright honest with me about who they thought was my "perfect match".  Most of the time that perfect match would end up being whoever was my best guy friend at the time.  I've always been really close to my younger brother, so talking to guys is second nature to me, which is why I've had quite a few amazing guy friendships in my life.  But if I ever happened to talk to one certain guy more than others, everyone would automatically assume that I must have a huge thing for him.  And after hearing those whispers, I would always allow the opinions  to dictate how my heart should feel.

"They think we would be great together, so why shouldn't I like him as more than a friend?" I would rationalize with myself.  "It's only natural for two friends to fall for each other, right?"      

Sure, that's great, Aly, but what does GOD have to say???

In those instances, listening to the crowd not only hurt my heart, but the heart of someone very important to me as well.  And it was all because I was listening to what the world had to say, instead of going to the One who really has all the answers.

I should have gone to God

Since graduating last year, I've made a lot of changes in the way I make decisions.  I've learned that, often times, the choices and opinions that the world calls "stupid" are the choices and opinions that God calls "blessed".  He doesn't play by the world's rules, so why should we?  And even though choices like this usually have consequences, and we sometimes have to give up some things that are important to us, God always makes it a worth while adventure.  Here are some of my own examples...

Last year, I felt God calling me to stay home from college, even though I had no plans for what I would do at home, and a scholarship to my dream school.  It took a ton of prayer, and since I was pretty much the only person who thought staying home for a year was a good idea, it was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make.

I trusted God and made the "stupid" decision to stay home, and not only did God use my extra time to publish my book, but the acting group I've been leading for the past four years doubled in size!

Another "stupid" decision I made was to follow the dream God placed on my heart of becoming a theatre director, instead of doing something more practical like everyone was telling me to.

Not only have I been blessed to spend the past month directing my favorite musical with my friends, but I've also been asked to teach drama camps at a local theatre guild this summer, the same theatre guild that I took summer drama camps from as a kid (dream job!).  These are two more opportunities I would have missed if I hadn't taken that gap year from college.

As for the relationship department, God has majorly changed my tactics over the past year.  Instead of allowing the voices of those around me to dictate who I should spend my time with, I'm finally allowing God to lead my steps.  And that goes for every kind of relationship, not just the lovey-dovey kind.  If the King of Creation thinks I need a certain person in my life, he'll put them there without any nudging from me.

The bottom line... God has overcome the world.

And we shouldn't allow what others say to determine who we are and what we do.  God knows us more personally and intimately than anyone we will ever meet!  If he calls us to do something, he will help us carry it through and will give the strength to decide, no matter what.  Our big, trustworthy God is oh so good, and if you place your cares with him, he won't let you fall.

So, what's the best stupid decision I've ever made?  The decision to ignore the standards and expectations of this world, and chase after God with all I've got.  Yes, this decision is still a work in progress.  Yes, I will still listen to the world sometimes when I shouldn't.  But I'm still going to try, and I hope you will too.

You heard my story, but I want to hear yours!  Do you struggle with listening to the world?  Have you ever made a "stupid" decision that God called you too?  Were you thankful you did?  Tell me in the comments!