When I’m asking God for guidance, I ask Him to dumb it down for me. I tend to question if it’s God telling me no, or if it’s my own doubts. Is He telling me yes, or is it my own wants that I’m hearing. This has led me to ask God to make His answer painfully obvious. And He does. He knows me better than I even know myself, so He is aware that I’m not asking Him to prove Himself to me. I’m acknowledging my own weakness, and asking Him to be louder than my own thoughts. I highly recommend this. Part of building a relationship of any kind is knowing and acknowledging your faults. Be humble and ask for help.

Recently I was faced with a pretty big decision. Should I sell my car? I’m not particularly attached to my car, but it is paid off, and as a creature of comfort, I was used to it. I did not want to sell my car. But, I didn’t want to be selfish and overlook doing the right thing. What if someone needed it more than me? So, I prayed. I asked God for guidance, and I asked for specific things because I didn’t want my hesitancy to be louder than God.

I heard Him loud and clear. Not only did everything I ask for come to fruition, but I had this deep sense of peace that selling her was the right thing. So, I sold her. I don’t know why I needed to, I still wish I hadn’t, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I was supposed to. And that’s good enough.

This is a realistic view of a relationship with God. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies. You’re going to be asked to do things that you don’t want to do, and you’re not always going to get an answer as to why. But the closer you get to God, the less you need the answers. You have faith that there’s a good reason, and that becomes good enough.