Fear or Hope? The Most Important Choice You Make Every DaySýnishorn

The story of the spies ends shockingly. We learn that our lack of hope and courage has consequences.

Moses delivered terrible news to the ten spies and the thousands of people who believed their bad report on the land.

God tells them via Moses that they will wander in the wilderness for 40 years, die, and none of them will enter the Promised Land. Everyone over the age of 20 who sided with that report will not enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb are exempt from this outcome because of their faith.

When I've shared this story in other settings, I've heard people say God's decision sounds incredibly harsh. Many of us would prefer to live in a world where there are no consequences. We'd prefer to escape the consequences of our decisions.

But the truth is that what we do matters. What we do right now matters. If we choose to respond without courage and hope, there will be consequences.

Someone once asked me, "Where is the wealthiest real estate located?" It's not in Manhattan, Hollywood, London, or Dubai. This person told me that the wealthiest real estate is in graveyards. The untapped potential permanently resides there, and unused gifts waste away.

Bronnie Ware knows that truth. As a nurse who worked in hospice work in Australia and New Zealand, she compiled her lessons into a book about the top regrets of the dying.

The number one regret for 1000s of dying patients Ware served was, "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."

I have a lot in common with Ware's dying patients. I've made many decisions based on what others would think, what I was afraid of, and the expectations I was scared not to meet.

Is your lack of hope and courage today rooted in a fear of others' opinions? In your current crisis, are you seeking to honor God more than anything else? Are you responding in a way rooted in hope, or will you react in a way that will minimize other people's criticism and adverse reactions?

If the voice of other people and your fear of their opinions are louder than the voice of God in your life, you will not live with hope and courage. You will live driven by fear!

I would hate for you to come to the end of your life with the same regrets as those hospice patients.

On the final day of this plan, we'll examine the gift that God offers us amid our crisis moments, and how we can avoid those weighty regrets.