And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
Isaiah 30:21 ESV

Have you ever been in the following situation: You know that you know that you know that you made the right choice. You began something new or stayed the course or made a life-changing decision, and at the time of the decision, you were fully confident that is what God wanted you to do.  You knew you heard that still small voice telling you the way to go. But as time marched on things went awry. What you thought was going to be the best decision of your life ended up appearing to be one of the worst. You suddenly found yourself walking through that valley of unexpected and unwanted events. So you began to question. Did you really hear from God about that decision? Did you really make the right choice? If you made the right choice, then why are you here now?

Well, as I was praying for a friend the other day who is walking through a valley she never anticipated nor would have chosen, God spoke to me something I believe we all need to remember: the negative events of today do not necessarily mean we chose poorly in days prior. Yes, sometimes the bad things of today are a result of the poor choices from the days before, but sometimes the suffering we go through today isn’t based on our choices at all; it’s based on the choices of others. In other words, people’s poor choices today do not negate the right choices you made yesterday.  You were supposed to take that job, but that co-worker was not supposed to steal from the company. You were supposed to move, but that neighbor was not supposed to act that way. You were supposed to marry that spouse, but that spouse was not supposed to have an affair. Whatever choice you made in full faith that God told you to make it, will always be the right choice even if others around you make the poor choices. God does not hold us accountable for the choices of others; He holds us accountable for what He calls us to do.

Although I wish I could give you a specific scripture regarding this truth, all that comes to mind this morning is a list of examples throughout the Bible. Abraham always followed God’s leading, but things didn’t always go his way because he journeyed through lands filled with people who did not follow God’s path. Moses follow God’s leading, but still had to wander through the desert because of the poor choices of those he was leading. Jesus lived perfectly yet still suffered at the hands of sinners. We live in a fallen world. We do not always make the right decisions, and those around us do not always make the right decisions. But I want to encourage you today that when you make the right decisions, if things do not turn out the way you expect they should, do not let Satan make you doubt your original decision. Trust God throughout the journey,  whether that journey is good or bad. Trust that when it comes to the end of your life, God is not going to judge you on the decisions of those around you; He’s going to judge you on the decisions He called you to make–the way He called you to walk.  As Jesus once told Peter as Peter questioned the path God had for another disciple: “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”(John 21:22 ESV).

Follow God today. And trust Him with tomorrow. And if today is not the day you expected, do not doubt yesterday. Believe. Believe the right you choose will remain right regardless of the wrongs that may come. For He who calls you is faithful–always faithful. “… He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail) (Psalms 55:22 (AMP).