A dilemma is when you have narrowed your choices down to two and neither of them is any good. It’s similar to painting yourself into a corner. You either stay there till the paint dries or mess up what you’ve already done in order to get out of the room. Neither choice is that appealing. Thus the power of a dilemma.
When our decisions get boiled down to an either/or, we get a fuzzy picture of the future and lose the power of hope. One suggestion is to weigh our options—adding up the good versus the bad and going with the plan that has more good in it. Problem is: we’ve all had bad things happen that turned out to be good, and good things happen that turned out to be bad. I’m not sure we’re that capable of predetermining what is going to be good or bad. And since we don’t know how things are going to turn out, we need a third option.
God said He had plans for us, plans for our welfare, plans that give us a future and a hope. If that’s the case, then every dilemma has a way out. If I could see into the future, making decisions would be simple. But I’m not equipped to see things like that or know how things are going to turn out in advance. So, I submit my future to the one who’s already there and ask Him to guide me in the right direction.
Does my belief about God include Him caring about what happens next? If not, I need to add that to my theological system. If I have left it out, then life is no better than the flip of a coin. How can I live with purposeful hope if I do not believe God has intentions for me?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. If I’m hung up on a dilemma, my hope is in trusting God to be my third option.
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