We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, (Colossians 1:9-11 NIV)
Have you ever thought about all the choices one person makes in a day? Researchers have studied this, and while it’s not an exact science, estimates suggest that the average adult makes between 20,000 and 35,000 decisions per day — though many of these are subconscious or minor decisions. Some of these decisions may not have important consequences – “should I wear the yellow shirt or the red?” But others, can have huge impact in our lives and the lives around us – “should I uproot my family and relocate to take this position?” The Bible has man examples of people whose decisions greatly impacted themselves and others.
What would have happened if Noah thought it was crazy to build an ark?
What would have happened if Mary had said “no” to God’s call to be the unmarried mother of the Messiah?
What would have happened if Esther hadn’t fasted, prayed, and confronted the King on the imminent elimination of her people?
What would have happened if Peter or Andrew or James or John had not followed Jesus when he invited them to follow him?
I saw a story on social media that reminds me how important our decisions – and having the courage of our convictions – can be:
Brussels, 1942. Under Nazi occupation, a young schoolteacher named Andrée Geulen watched as Jewish students in her classroom were forced to wear the yellow star. What had once been a room full of children suddenly felt divided by fear and danger. For Geulen, that moment was a turning point.
Rather than look away, she chose to act.
Before long, she joined the underground resistance network Comité de Défense des Juifs, which worked to hide Jewish children from deportation. Her role required remarkable courage. She helped convince desperate parents to send their children into hiding, found safe homes, convents, and schools willing to shelter them, and traveled across the country under false identities to check on their safety. Every trip risked arrest. Every decision carried life-and-death consequences.
Geulen’s work was not dramatic in appearance — it was persistent, quiet, and dangerous. She used her position as a teacher, her calm presence, and her deep compassion to help move children out of reach of the Nazi system. She later lived under an assumed name herself, continuing the work until Belgium was liberated.
Together with others in the resistance, she helped save the lives of thousands of Jewish children. After the war, her actions were formally recognized by Yad Vashem, which honored her as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.
Geulen never described herself as a hero. She simply believed that when children are in danger, adults must protect them. She lived to be 100 years old — a life defined not by a single dramatic gesture, but by years of steady courage, moral clarity, and quiet resistance.
God,
Thank you for the many men and women who serve as faithful examples, whose decisions and actions have positively impacted those around them and the world. Thank you for your Word and your Spirit, which guide us in our decision-making, and for the strength and courage you provide to fulfill the callings on our lives.
Fill us with the knowledge of your will through all the wisdom and understanding your Spirit gives. May our lives be lived worthy of you, and pleasing to you in every way. May they bear fruit in every good work as we grow in the knowledge of you. Strengthen us with all power according to your glorious might, so that we may have great endurance and patience.
May our decisions, and the courage to act on them, honor and glorify you and help advance your Kingdom purposes. We ask this in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9 AMP)