The Heart of The Matter

My mom recently gave me a good piece of advice, and in pondering it I've come to greatly appreciate its benefits. It's very simple yet very profound, because it can be of good use throughout one's entire life, really everyday. Basically, before making a decision in any situation, I need to ask myself, what's the motive behind my choice? Lately I've felt very bombarded with decisions, some being thrown at me without much time to think beforehand. Some are big, and many are small, but they are all decisions and they all affect myself, the people around me, and our futures. In feeling like I'm drowning in big decisions recently, this piece of advice has made me able to think more clearly and to choose wisely. The most important part of making a decision is knowing what the motivation of my choice is. Am I making this choice to get away from a situation that I need to face? Am I making this choice because of fear? Am I doing this to serve myself or to serve others? Is this people-pleasing or God-pleasing? It's not so much the action itself, but what's in the heart. Sometimes selfish motives get in the way, and sometimes the voices of others shouting out their opinions and advice can overwhelm and drown out the quiet whisper of His voice. I want to glean as much godly advice as I can from the people in my life, yet I don't want to be swayed by human opinion- I want to hear from God for myself and not have to always hear through the opinions of other people. I want to seek godly counsel and always remember, what's my motive? What is the motive behind the advice I'm being given? If there's one thing I know for sure it's that I don't want to miss out on anything that God has for me, whether my flesh likes it or hates it. I want all that He has for me, and I want my decisions to be aligned with His will. There is nothing that doesn't matter to God, whether something seems big or small, my every choice should be made out of selfless love toward others, with honoring God the goal. As Paul wrote in First Corinthians 10:23, everything may be permissible, but not everything is beneficial.
I, just like everyone, am not perfect and in this time on earth never will be, but praise the Lord that His grace is sufficient for me, that He can take my bad choices and use them for His honor in ways that I can't even imagine, that He desires to grant us His strength and guide us every step of the way.