According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
-1 Corinthians 3:10-14

We get to choose. We get to “take care how (we) build upon it.” We have this free gift of a solid, unshakeable, eternal, faithful foundation that can never be moved, and then we get to choose.

Whether it's who we marry, how we educate, how we parent and discipline, how we speak and serve and love, how we spend and earn our incomes--we have agency. And this freedom can be both liberating and simultaneously terrifying.

What will we build?
How will we build it?
What will my method be?
What materials will I use?
In what manner will I work?
Will I trust Him to provide?
Will I remember to ask him HIS plans?
Will I obey what he reveals- even when I don't understand or see a way?
Will I pray expectantly?

And the thing to remember as we make these choices is that testing and time will reveal all things.

We have this gift of a foundation and this gift of building. We also have the gift of the Holy Spirit to advise us as we choose. When we are feeling lost, stuck, and desperate in our situation, we have to take the time to ask ourselves:

Making decisions can be paralyzing- especially when we hope to please God and not our own desires. We can drive ourselves bonkers looking for "his way" or trying to guess which option will please God most. But there's freedom in Christ and a clear p…

Am I seeking His Plans or creating my own, never even asking His Way?
Am I too scared to make a decision because I believe all will be lost if I choose wrong?
Did I already ask and obey- but now I’m second-guessing myself?
Am I building for a while, then swiftly tearing down what I’ve just labored for, with my own hands?
Am I steadfast in building on the One foundation that is immovable--or am I straying and choosing to construct my own somewhere else?
Is what I’m building eternity-focused or will it simply burn away? Is my (or will my) investment reflect my priorities?

We can know this with confidence: Time will always reveal our work. Trials, loss, bumps in the road, spiritual warfare--it is all a fire that burns away that which we've labored for which was chaff in the wind. And it leaves us holding only that which was worth purifying. (This is GOOD.)

The Gift is that we don't have to guess or fret or worry. God's Word gives us all the knowledge we need:

Be humble. (Ephesians 4:2)
Seek His face. (Psalm 27:8)
Work as if you're working for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23)
Don't bury your talents. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Trust him. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Seek his narrow path. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Ask and it shall be given to you. (Matthew 7: 7-8) (Note: This verse is far and away not about material wealth, but rather about the free gifts of joy, endurance, enthusiasm, wisdom, Christian energy, and brotherly love.)

He gives us an unshakeable foundation. He provides all the tools. He gives us a spiritual guide and a manual. And inside the perfectly measured boundary of his foundation, we have all the freedom in the world to CHOOSE.

From that place of confident reassurance, we don’t have to worry our way through each decision, over-analyzing, fearing failure, considering all of the “what-ifs.”

What we get to do is this:

PRAY.
LISTEN.
TRUST.
GO.

That may sound over-simplified if you’re facing what seems like overwhelming uncertainty because our hearts can get very distracted by the world’s version of freedom and choices. But when we stand firmly in God’s Word, seek the guidance of his Holy Counselor, listen to what he whispers into our hearts, trust that he will NEVER fail us, and just obey, then we have the opportunity to confidently choose one of many good and worthy options.

We need not be paralyzed by fear and overwhelm. Sift away all that’s outside of these parameters (which are rooted in His Word and whispered into your heart) and dwell upon the opportunities remaining. Those options will be the good things- the worthy things. They won’t be so numerous that we feel paralyzed.

We won’t be left wondering if we chose right, because our FOUNDATION NEVER CHANGED. And He will bless our prayers, our pursuit of His Way, and our dedication to stay firmly rooted upon the only foundation that can ever bring life- Jesus.

He is the way, the truth and the life. But he is filled with grace and his very Spirit brings freedom. He doesn’t expect you to figure out his hidden, secret path that you will surely tumble to your death if you don’t find. He is a redeeming, redirecting, resurrecting God- one wrong step won’t lead you to peril.

In Him, you won’t fail.

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