Decide, Or Life Decides For You
Right now, I’m watching the Midwest roll by through the windshield.
We are currently on the road, driving across the country to look at a massive piece of equipment for the new storefront. It’s a large fluid bed coffee roaster. If you aren't a coffee nerd, most people associate coffee roasting with a traditional spinning drum over a flame. A fluid bed roaster, on the other hand, roasts the beans by levitating them in a column of hot air.
It’s a huge investment, a totally different way to roast, and the deadline for us to pull the trigger and make the decision is today.
Which brings me to what I’ve been thinking about on this drive: Decisions.
You have to make them to keep moving forward. Because if you don't make them, life is going to make them for you.
The Decisions We Didn't Choose
Our family knows a thing or two about life making decisions for us. We didn't choose to lose our son, Larson. We didn't choose to have our house wiped off its foundation by a tornado.
When you go through things like that—rebuilding a home from the dirt up, grieving a child, starting a farm, and trying to grow a business—you learn very quickly that you can't be passive. You can’t just sit in the passenger seat of your own life.
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is how to handle the weight of these choices. My recommendation? Involve Jesus Christ. When I have a massive choice in front of me—like buying a commercial roaster or figuring out the next step for the farm—I pray for discernment. I ask to make the decision that will praise God the most. I’ve found that when I start there, the right path becomes clearer. The anxiety disappears. We can just keep moving forward.
Rebuilding the Temple at 40
This mindset doesn't just apply to business; it applies to the everyday grind.
For the first time in two years, I am getting back into running shape. And I’ll be honest with you: I let life get in the way. When the tornado hit and demolished our house, I used it as an excuse to take a break. I stopped running. I stopped pushing that physical limit.
But I’m 40 now. I want to live a better life. I want to be a better role model for my boys, and a more faithful, capable servant to God. 1 Corinthians says our body is a temple, and I get to wake up every single day and choose to better that part of me. I am choosing not to let the storms of the past be an excuse for the present.
It feels great to be back out there.
Whether it's deciding to buy a massive coffee roaster, deciding to trust God with your grief, or just deciding to lace up your running shoes after a two-year break—make the choice. Step into the fire.
Life is a lot of fun when we keep our heads up.