Bible Reading: Jeremiah 29:11-14

If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.   Jeremiah 29:13

Jennifer’s dad sat at the kitchen table poring over bills, with his brow scrunching together the way it does whenever he worried. Jennifer walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and gave him a huge hug. Jennifer knew that money was tight and that her dad struggled to not let her see.

“I appreciate you, Dad,” she said. “You’re always making big decisions.”

Jennifer’s dad smiled back at her and said, “Honey, I’ve actually made most of my big decisions. Now it’s usually just a matter of living those out. You still have all those big decisions ahead of you.”

Huh? How can thirteen-year-old Jennifer have bigger decisions to make than a parent trying to lead a family? In a way, it’s true. Think of the big decisions you will make in the next decade or so of your life.

1. You’ll decide who will guide your life—who will be your master. Maybe you have already settled that issue by trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. If so, you intend to live according to his Word and his will as he shows it to you. You’re headed in the right direction.

2. You’ll decide what to do with your life—your mission. You’ll have to figure out what preparation you need to accomplish your goals.

3. You’ll decide if you will marry and whom you will marry—your mate. It’s doubly difficult to make this decision, because it takes two to tie the knot. You both have to sense the same guidance from God.

If you have decided to follow Christ, you have a great advantage in finding answers to every other decision you face. God loves you and has a great plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 declares, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” God also promises, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8, NIV).

I hope you have already made a decision about your master. You’re maybe dreaming about your mission. And choosing a mate is a long time away. But you can be confident that in each of these things God wants what is totally good for you—and there’s nothing you could ever want that’s better than to follow God’s plans for you!

TALK: What kind of plans does God have for your life? Do you think they’re good— or what?

PRAY: God, we want to make decisions that please you. Help us to make the right big choices so all the little ones fall into place.

ACT: Spend some time talking with a parent about one of those big life choices— your master, your mission, or your mate.