12 November | Youth
«Doing the will of God from the heart.» Ephesians 6:6
Many young people feel insecure when they have to decide. If you are between 16 and 26 years old, you are in the most difficult phase of your life. It is called the critical decade. During this period, the great questions of existence need to be decided. The choices you make during this stage will determine the direction of your life for the next 50 years.
Most young people's decisions during this period are made based on their will, including choosing a profession, a spouse and also the values that will shape their lives forever. You will undoubtedly receive influence and guidance from people who love you, such as parents, teachers and friends, but the final decision will always be yours.
You will be faced with hundreds of important questions and will have to decide which direction to take. You will be forced to deal with pressures and temptations that previous generations did not have to face.
Most of the tasks we need to do to fulfill our duty require the use of our will. Here are some of them: resisting temptation, persevering in a challenging task, breaking a habit and even surrendering. Note that all of these issues are related to our willpower. There is just one difference: you decide today, and it is easier to take the next step the following day. But you cannot accumulate energy from one decision to the next. Each decision is unique. You persevere in completing a task and can celebrate accomplishing your duty. However, the next challenging task will be just as daunting as the last.
As incredible as it may seem, the only act of will that is capable of producing energy for the next struggle is surrender. This is when you submit your will to the will of God. It is giving up control. It is surrendering your ambitions, dreams, resources, relationships, time and desires to God. Many times, our choices fail because we do not include God in our plans.
Ellen White wrote: “The will is the governing power in the nature of man, bringing all the other faculties under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the deciding power which works in the children of men unto obedience to God or unto disobedience” (Mind, Character and Personality, p. 685).
With so many questions to be answered, it is especially important to understand the role of will in our lives. It is not a taste or an inclination. The power that decides governs us. Align your dreams with God's. Do this and make the best decisions.