Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Making Decisions With Discernment

Aron Ralston embarked upon a new adventure with the expectation that greatness would greet him on the emerging horizon of his ambition. However, he failed to realize the grave cost of his newfound goal. Caught between a rock and a hard place without acknowledging God can become costly, and he learned this the hard way.

Corporate America wasn’t for Ralston, and he decided to quit his job to devote more time to mountaineering. He wanted to climb Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America. But before attempting that, he wanted to do something that had never been done before: He wanted to climb Colorado’s 14ers—all 58 of them—by himself, in the winter, before climbing Denali. Ralston’s new path would forever change the course of his life.

Have you made major life decisions you thought were best for you, yet you ended up with a totally different reality? Maybe you also quit your corporate job—or maybe you lost it—and decided to invest everything into your dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Or maybe you got that divorce and remarried, but now you realize your first marriage wasn’t as bad as you thought. Now, you’re dealing with the residue of your past marriage and its toll on your children, while also facing the reality of your new marriage and its real challenges.

In either of these situations, you might feel caught between a rock and a hard place.

Neither place is comfortable, and in these places, you face life-changing decisions that will affect the rest of your life and the lives of others.

Ralston, determined to achieve his incredible endeavor, set forth without sharing his location with others; he wanted to accomplish this goal without any help from others. On his high climb to success, an 800-pound boulder trapped the mountaineering man. Ralston was stuck … and alone.

Maybe, just as Ralston failed to consult with others about his plans, you’ve neglected to consult God about your ambitions—and now you feel trapped and desolate. Are you in a situation where you are wondering if you can ever recover? Desperate measures call for desperate decisions. Ralston thought he was going to die there, but he had a dream.

Just like Ralston, God has given you a dream, and He wants you to know you are not going to die in this place. It is hard, but He is with you. Ralston had to drink his own urine and sever his own arm to survive. The cost for his ambitious adventure without consulting others indeed bore a grave cost. This doesn’t have to be your story, though.

God wants you to acknowledge Him and seek His wisdom in your decisions, and if you will take the necessary steps like Ralston did—even if they are just as drastic—God will bring you to your expected end.

For more on how God wants to partner with you in your dreams, listen to Overcomers on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}