‘Best’ is better than ‘good’

“Everything is permissible for me — but not everything is beneficial.”

— 1 Corinthians 6:12 (NIV)

Some years ago, I had volunteered my services to help a great organization. The work was something I enjoyed and believed it would sharpen my skills and fulfill my dreams. A few years later, another opportunity presented itself.

I really liked the people I had been involved with during the previous years and didn’t want to let them down. So, I tried to do both tasks. But no matter how hard I tried, I knew it was time to say “no” to one and choose the other. I believed it was time to leave the task I enjoyed for years, even though it was something good.

We don’t always move on because we don’t like something anymore. Sometimes we have two good choices and have to choose which one is best. Choosing what we believe is the best can bring some freedom to our life. It might actually bring up a better opportunity. But it requires saying “no” to someone or something we would rather not.

Opportunities abound everywhere. We need to be able to decide what needs to go so we can grow. We must learn to say “yes” to some things and “no” to others. This isn’t always easy.

Each decision means leaving another opportunity to grasp the more important one. It may mean leaving a gap in a job or ministry that needs to be filled.

The Apostle Paul instructed the people that not everything they chose was beneficial for them. But choosing the best over what is merely good has beneficial results.

When striving to make the best choices, I like to keep in mind some wise advice I heard someone give: “What is good may be the enemy of what is best.”

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.