Decision Time

CORE PRACTICE #62: Accept others’ input when making decisions, but listen the most to God and to each other.

Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves. All day long I put my hope in you.

—Psalm 25:4-5

TONY

Quarterback Drew Brees made headlines when he led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory in 2010. Coming less than five years after Hurricane Katrina decimated the region, the victory represented a major comeback for the city—not to mention Drew himself.

Drew had played well for the San Diego Chargers, where he had started his career, but he hit the market as a free agent in 2006 after the Chargers made an offer during contract negotiations that he deemed low—even though he was recovering from a severe shoulder injury that he’d sustained in the last game of the 2005 season.

Of the other thirty-one teams in the National Football League, only the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints were interested in him as their starting quarterback. Other teams preferred him as a backup, especially in light of his rehabilitation for his injury. After flying to Miami and New Orleans to meet with both clubs, Drew and his wife, Brittany, sat down to recap their whirlwind tour.

The smart choice seemed to be Miami. New Orleans was still recovering from the devastation of Katrina, and the Dolphins had been better—much better—as a team in 2005. They’d gone 9–7 and finished the season on a six-game winning streak. The Saints, in the meantime, had won only three games all year.

Even the Breeses had thought it likely that they’d prefer Miami. But the couple had been unexpectedly affected by their visit to New Orleans, as Drew explains in his book:

We sat on the bed and just stared at each other. The revelation seemed to hit us at the same time. We couldn’t quite explain it, but it was almost like New Orleans was calling to us. We prayed together that night as we do every night, and we asked God to continue to show us what direction we should go. . . .

We couldn’t ignore the irresistible feeling—a sense of spiritual calling, even—that God wanted us in New Orleans. . . .

Where some people might look at the city and see disaster, we saw opportunity. . . . We saw the adversity as a chance to build something special from the ground up. . . . What if God wanted us in New Orleans for such a time as this?^a

And so Drew and Brittany headed to New Orleans. Drew came back from his injury to lead the Saints to greater success than most people could have imagined. More important, the Breeses are where God wants them, where they are able to make a difference.

If they’d listened to conventional wisdom, Drew probably would have taken the position in Miami. However, he and Brittany prayed for guidance and looked to each other first for their most important input.

The right decision isn’t always as clear to us as it was to the Breeses, and it doesn’t always look so obviously correct after the fact. However, we still need to trust the Lord and trust our partner for guidance. After all, no one knew Drew’s heart better than Brittany, and vice versa. We know what makes our spouse tick, what moves them, and what will provide the most satisfaction and meaning.

Adventure Application: Are you facing a major decision? Take it to the Lord in prayer—together—and discuss it with each other. Ask the Lord to give you His peace and comfort in the process.