When my niece was getting married a few months ago, I knew that I had to buy an especially nice dress for the occasion. My sister and her husband were going all out, and this wedding was going to be an extraordinary affair. My husband and I combed the mall dress shops for days, and I tried on more outfits than I could count. We narrowed our choices down to two lovely dresses, and even though I had been praying for God’s wisdom and help, we still couldn’t decide which one to purchase, so we bought both of them.
The big day was approaching fast, and I still didn’t know which dress to wear. Then two days before the wedding, Joe and I were out shopping for some accessories when we noticed that the stores had gotten some new inventory. We both agreed that we should look over the new selections, and almost immediately, I spotted a gorgeous sparkly blue dress on one of the racks. As soon as I tried it on, I knew it was the dress that I was meant to wear to the wedding. Joe knew it, too. The day of the wedding, I got more compliments on that dress than any dress I’ve ever owned.
The Lord used this dress incident to teach me that sometimes, when we have a decision to make, we will think we have only a certain number of options to choose from, and if we’re not careful, we will settle for second best. But if we wait on God–even to the last minute, if necessary–He will present us with yet another option, one that will prove to be infinitely better than all the others. If you are in the valley of decision today, ask the Lord, “Am I in danger of settling for less than Your best?”