Lists or God's answer?

I’m a list maker. The majority of my lists are “to-do” lists for home or work. They are helpful in organizing my day, and checking off my accomplishments brings a certain satisfaction. But some lists—on occasions when a decision has to be made—contain columns headed by “pro” and “con.” Understandable. 

When I was working on one of that kind of list a week or so ago, I found it mostly populated by “cons.” And then I remembered one of my most significant list experiences back in 1992. At that time, I needed to decide whether or not to leave the job I’d been in for nine years (part of an 18-year career), to accept a new job and career direction. My list-making began in earnest, and my “pro” and “con” columns were growing almost equally, with interesting and important factors to be aware of. 

While I can’t honestly say I thought my answer would be apparent when I tallied the columns—presumably giving most weight to the longer one—I found that as I added to each column, the answer wasn’t even close to becoming clear. Though I sincerely thought I had been praying in the right way, while making insightful entries to my list, I realized that a deeper level of prayer was needed. And that simple realization led to a series of events that eventually revealed God’s answer for me.

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