My husband made a statement to me the other day. He said, “You just need to become comfortable with ambiguity.”

I knew he was right. It was a statement made in response to me voicing the unknown outcomes in regards to a decision that needs to be made in coming months. There are multiple possible outcomes depending on saying “yes” or saying “no”. Due to the nature of the decision, I will never know if I made the right choice.

As someone who likes to make a logical decision based on the facts, saying I need to be comfortable with the ambiguity of this particular decision is akin to saying I need to be comfortable with walking off the edge of a cliff! I feel cornered. Which cliff?

Maybe it is possible to simply walk away and not even look over the edge? To dig my heels in and say I’m not making a decision. Someone else just tell me what to do! Or should I take a running leap over the yes cliff? Or a running leap over the no cliff? Either one has no guarantees of a trouble free outcome. Feels impossible.

For all the same personality types as me you’re probably nodding your heads right now going “Ah huh. Yep I totally get it.” We’re the types who would rather find everything we need in one department store than to traipse for hours through the whole mall becoming overwhelmed because there’s too many choices. Others may be reading this and saying “What the heck are you talking about? Just make a decision!” In my current scenario my choices may be limited to a yes or no, but the potential impacts are BIG! I’d rather be shopping! Even in a huge mall!

I’ve been doing mental gymnastics in my mind when deep down I know better. The Scriptures tell me in James 1:2-8 what to do in this situation. “My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. But when you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.“

Ouch. This is where the rubber meets the road. Where faith needs to be just that…faith. Free of doubts. Faith also needs to take action. In this case the action is asking. Trusting. Believing God will give me the wisdom I need. That I’ll be led forth in peace.

My husband had the opening word on this post and I’ll let him have the final word. After reading this, he said to me “They don’t have to feel like cliffs of ambiguity where you jump off and go “splat!” They can be doors….yes there’ll be rocks to climb over on the path beyond whichever door you open, but you’ll get over them, you’ll make it. ”

Hmmm….I can certainly deal with climbing over rocks rather than going splat upon them!

I don’t know if I am comfortable with ambiguity yet. Or ever will be. But by leaning on God’s wisdom, refusing to doubt that He is always working for my highest good, He’ll show me the path through and over – even while I’m feeling uncomfortable. I can rest easy in that.

And so can you. If you’re in a time of indecision I encourage you to ask God for wisdom. Human wisdom is limited. God’s wisdom is not.