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August 1, 2023
How could I choose?
I love tennis. I’ve been playing for about seven years, and I was planning to continue my athletic journey my junior year of high school. But as the spring sports registration deadline got closer, I kept wondering if I should focus instead on accomplishing volunteer hours for a program for Christian Scientists I’d been part of. I was conflicted and didn’t know what to do.
I talked to my family about my dilemma, and they reminded me that I could turn to God in prayer for an answer, like I’d learned in Christian Science Sunday School. Although I did turn to God and pray about my situation, I kept feeling that there was no right answer and that no matter what I chose, I would regret it.
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I was conflicted and didn’t know what to do.
A couple of weeks later, as I was getting ready for school, a thought hit me: No matter what I did, where I was, or who I was with, I would be in my right place because God, ever-present Love, takes care of every aspect of my life. There was no room to make an error, no room for inharmony, and especially no room for regret. This idea comforted me as the tennis registration deadline loomed.
With this idea in mind, I felt confident about calling my coach and telling him that I wouldn’t be participating in the upcoming season. But first I talked to my mom, who’d been praying to support me and wanted to offer some spiritual inspiration. She shared a line from the book of Job in the Bible, which says, “Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it” (28:1). To me, silver and gold represented both the activities I was interested in. Wanting to pursue my volunteer hours (for which I could earn a silver medal) had its right place. The gold of my life, tennis, had its right place, too. My mom also said that there was no reason I should have to choose between two great activities that were both blessings. Instead, I could enjoy all of the good in my life.
There was no reason I should have to choose between two great activities that were both blessings. Instead, I could enjoy all of the good in my life.
After I hung up with my mom, I called my coach to tell him I would play tennis that year. In hindsight, it’s easy to see that this really was the best decision because so much good came out of both my tennis season and the volunteer hours I completed. And neither activity ended up conflicting with, or taking anything away from, the other.
I am so grateful for the good in my life and have found so much comfort in discovering more about all that God has in store for me. I know now that God is always leading me in the right direction and that no matter what dilemma we face, there is always an answer because God is all good.