Many Christians wrestle with making good, faithful choices when deciding important issues. The difficult decisions usually do not deal with morally right or wrong but with best and better in terms of following the will of God. Here is a simple technique. The first is obvious, pray. Pray and request the help of the Holy Spirit and your guardian angel. Find a quiet time to ponder your decision. Decern your rational thoughts and decern what is emotional feelings. (Feelings can be very fickle, fear or emotional enthusiasm can blind rational reasoning.) Second, make a list of pros and cons. Putting thoughts on paper can be very helpful in separating ideas and it gives the opportunity to use other parts of your brain. Seeing with your eyes helps to visualize your ideas. Third, talk to someone wise. Preferably someone who knows you fairly well and shares your faith in the Lord. But it could also be someone who is familiar with the subject matter you are concerned with. Go over the list with them. They will probably be able to add to it. Ask for their honest thoughts, not what they might think you want to hear. If you are comfortable with it, ask them to pray with you. Fourth, “know yourself.” How have your decisions turned out in the past? Have you let fear hold you back? Have you made impulsive decisions that did not turn out well? Have you disregarded helpful advice in the past? Or have you allowed others to make decisions for you that you really did not want to follow? Fifth, pray again and trust the Lord. If you sincerely seek to follow the Lord’s will, you ultimately cannot go wrong. He will get you where you need to be, even sending an angel to correct and inform you if necessary. Yours in Christ, Fr. Sid.