Reading
“Be careful, then, how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16
Reflection
When we’re making a big decision, the right question asked at the right time can make all the difference.
In 1978, Richard Foster published Celebration of Discipline, a book that reintroduced the American church to the spiritual disciplines that have been handed down by Christians since the early church. Following its release, Foster was in high demand as a teacher and speaker.
Richard Foster is a Quaker, and as he planned his speaking schedule for each year, he would hold held what Quakers call a clearness committee, where someone who is discerning something sits with others, and they listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance together, sharing questions and insights as the Spirit leads.
One year as he was going through this process, he laid out all the speaking invitations on a table—there were around 300 in all. During this time, Foster and his wife had children who were just entering their teen years. At the beginning of the clearness committee, his wife said to him, “Richard, you need to make a decision. Do you want to be better known and have a mess at home, or do you want to be less well known and have a good situation at home?”
He said no to all 300 speaking requests. It was the shortest such meeting he ever had. At the time, he didn’t know if he would ever speak or write again. He ended up not taking any speaking engagements for 18 months, and during that time, the seeds were planted that led to the founding of Renovaré, a spiritual formation ministry that has been equipping people and churches to “experience continual renewal in Jesus” for nearly 40 years.
For Richard Foster, turning down those speaking requests meant giving up fame, money, and possibly his writing and speaking career. Most of us would be tempted to find a way to make it work. Foster, though, was blessed with a wife who asked him, in effect, how much of his family life he was willing to sacrifice for success, and the answer was none.
As Pastor Mark said on Sunday, “‘How long can I neglect my family, my finances, or my health without feeling the effects?’ is the wrong question.” When we face these kinds of decisions, the right question is not what we can get away with, but what is wise—what leads to good for our families, our communities, and ourselves.
As you approach important decisions, who in your life could ask you the right question at the right time? Often, God’s wisdom comes to us through the people who ask the question that changes everything.
Prayer
God of abundance,
You have created a world overflowing with blessing,
And we are blessed with more opportunities
Than we can say yes to.
Give us the discernment to ask
Not just what we can get away with,
But what is truly wise.
Give us the wisdom to know
What choices will lead to life—
For us, for our families, and for the world,
So that we might help the people in our lives
And all your creation
To flourish.
Amen.
