Think
Would you like to make better decisions?
Is it possible to make better decisions, even if you hate to make decisions?
Ah! Big decisions! Little decisions! Any kind of decision!! Do they drive you bananas?
Maybe you dread making decisions, so you kick them down the road?
Have you ever wished you were confident enough to make better decisions?
Especially when we have to live with the consequences of those decisions.
Decisions can be drastically different, when you use wisdom when making them.
I didn’t say when you have information.
I said “when you use wisdom.”
Everybody has an opinion…about EVERYTHING!
Opinions don’t always solve problems, sometimes they just make more problems.
There is a drastic difference between information and wisdom.
You are living in the information era.
Knowledge is at your fingertips. With just a few keywords and a great search engine you can learn about almost everything!
Wisdom is rare.
Wisdom is worth more than rubies. “for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 8:11 NIV
Wisdom is the right application of true and accurate information. Wisdom helps us discern the truth; not someone’s opinion of what is true, but what is actually true. Wisdom helps us to do the right thing at the right time.
Wisdom can and should be developed and cultivated.
God gives wisdom.
But it is also given by God when we value it and sincerely seek for it.
Proverbs 2:4-6 NIV
4and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Solomon did. It worked for him! He made better decisions.
1 Kings 10:23, 24 “So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 24The whole world sought an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.”
Maybe you prefer to listen to audio or watch the video?
It worked for Jason Brown too. He was able to make better decisions.
I had never heard of Jason Brown and never dreamed when I turned on the TV in the middle of the night that I was about to hear a story that would build my faith. It would encourage me to seek God not only for provision, but for wisdom! Not just knowledge, but wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to put knowledge into practice. That’s totally different!
Growing a Greener World-From Cleats to Beets was the episode name. A gardening show is a unique place to meet the highest paid Center in the NFL? Cleats to beets? I was wide awake.
His story is remarkable. He needed more than information to make the huge decision he was facing. Jason Brown needed wisdom. The wisdom he discovered didn’t fit into a nice little box, but it worked. I want to share this amazing account with you.
When facing a decision.
This is what the LORD says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
Jason Brown was the Baltimore Ravens 4th round pick of the 2005 NFL Draft.
St. Louis Rams offered Jason a contract in 2009 worth $37 million.
He was an extraordinary center, one of the best in football. For those like me that don’t know much about football, Center is one of football’s most specialized jobs. It can lead to a long and lucrative career for the elite few who can play as well as Jason.
Yet it is a pressure cooker position. At that level, the pressure of pro football can sometimes hit harder than a blitzing linebacker. Every eye is critiquing every move. It’s the only job where every single year you know that the powers that be are gonna draft a whole bunch of strong, ambitious players desperate for your position.
Jason Brown was standing at a crossroad.
How do you make a good decision under this kind of pressure?
So he did exactly what Jeremiah said to do, he asked God for the good path, the God path.
As he prayed over the decision…He felt that God wanted him to leave football for farming.
Farming?
You heard me right! Farming
From cleats to beets?
Who leaves the fame and fortune of football for farming? Maybe Jason Brown would be the first! He thought Really? Really, God? You want me to farm?
He grew confident that he had heard from God. He believed God seriously wanted him to leave football and become a farmer.
What now?
He knew nothing about farming, He had never been a farmer, so he didn’t even know how to do it. He did exactly what you do when you want to learn how to do something, he went online.
Jason’s decision didn’t make any sense to the natural mind. But, it was God’s wisdom for Jason’s next step.
He explained to the show host, “We made a covenant. We said, ‘God whatever place you bless us with, we’re gonna name It” First Fruits Farm.” And we’re going to give your people, we’re gonna give our community the first fruits of whatever is produced from this land.”
Jason Brown partnered with God by leaving football
The decision was made… now he needed everything else.
A farm…a really big farm and all the stuff that goes with it.
Jason’s story is one great big continuous miracle after another. I’ll add the link again at the bottom, so you can watch the story for yourself. Bring a tissue, cause if you’re like me you’ll cry!!! And I’ve watched it lots of times.
But, before you go watch Jason Brown’s interview, I want to tell you about my personal take away from this episode. Mr. Brown shares some awesome stories of God’s provision and blessings, but one story especially sums up what I believe God is saying in the middle part of Jeremiah 6:16.
Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
I couldn’t sleep.
I always sleep really well! Thank you, Lord! Well, we had just gotten back from almost 30 days out West. Maybe I couldn’t sleep because my body clock was off or maybe I couldn’t sleep because God wanted to use that episode to talk to me.
Either way, I watched this story two years ago and God is still using it to encourage me.
Especially this part and I’ll tell you why it meant so much to me.
Jason’s wife wanted some Dwarf Nigerian Goats. She wanted the milk so she could make some ice cream for her family.
So they bought some.
That first night coyotes attacked the flock and killed one goat. The next night the coyotes attacked again and this time they killed two goats.
So down in the dumps!
That Wednesday night Jason Brown went to church feeling pretty down. He shared his prayer request with the folks at church. One of the farmers announced, “I’m going to give you a donkey.”
That is a strange gift.
Jason had no idea that the donkey was exactly what he needed to protect his goats from coyotes. Donkeys are smart. Donkeys are strong, even stronger than a horse their same size. They don’t like coyotes, so they will bite and kick a coyote if it invades his territory.
Jason didn’t know what to do or what he needed.
Jason had no idea how to protect his precious goats. He needed the wisdom to know what he needed, and he needed the donkey.
God provided both.
Proverbs 4:5
5Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
Now let me tell you why this story means so much to me.
One of the places we visited out west was Mt. Charleston, NV. We went there because we heard it snows there in the winter AND it has wild horses and donkeys.
We saw one horse and NO, that’s a big fat zero, donkeys.
It was a beautiful place! A good museum and some fascinating places of interest. It was getting dark, so we headed back to our motel. As we exited the park, I spotted a beautiful, beautiful donkey off the roadway.
I asked Wayne to stop, grabbed the camera and ran to snap a picture of the donkey.
He wasn’t happy.
I was across the road from the donkey, when he lifted his head from eating to bray at me. It was a definite warning. I knew enough to heed his warning and keep my distance.
That donkey stood stiff and rigid as he watched to see if I would approach him. He only began to eat again when he saw me turn to leave.
God used so many things to talk to me on that trip.
Almost every day God would use something we saw to illustrate a point He was teaching me. I was sure this donkey was another one of God’s object lessons. So I asked Him what He wanted me to learn from this beautiful creature. I didn’t hear anything. I asked Him several times, so I was beginning to think the donkey was just something fun to see.
But, that night when I heard Jason Brown’s donkey story, I knew what God was saying to me…”You need wisdom. And you need a donkey.”
Mr. Brown had no idea…NO IDEA he needed a donkey therefore he couldn’t pray for a donkey. He wasn’t going to go buy a donkey, because he had no idea what to do about the situation.
What he needed was wisdom to know what to do next.
So, he did more than worrying and thinking about it.
Mr. Brown prayed. He asked his friends to pray.
So many times
- I have assumed…
- Or guessed…
- or hoped
- that I would have the answer to a situation…to a problem,
- but all my assuming and guessing and hoping wasn’t enough.
It’s not that I don’t want God’s help.
It’s just that sometimes I don’t ask.
James 1:5 NLT If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Proverbs 3:6 NLT
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
So we seek His will in all we do
…not just when we are desperate to figure something out, but even when we think we know what to do.
We invite Him,
- the all knowing,
- almighty God into all our decision making so we can make better decisions.
- because He sees it all and
- He knows, really knows, what is best
Are you trying to figure out what to do next…which path to take?
- …how to be healthy?
- …how to get a better job or pay off some debts?
- …how to help your child?
Jeremiah 6:16 NIV
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
If you could chat with Jason Brown I believe he would tell you, God’s path has been a good path, not an easy path, but a good path. I believe he would tell you while the work is hard, he has found rest for his soul.
Growing a Greener World Episode 908: Trading Cleats for Beets – YouTube