Best or Right?

Five hundred and fifty volunteers accepted our invitation. They all came for a minimum of 30 days of service to a land where none of the 550 had ever set foot, and, for the most part they had never heard about until they were challenged to go and serve there. 

Long before any of them ever arrived in Upper Volta, West Africa, our family had been preparing to lead these folks to have life-changing experiences. 

While we were serving in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), we were burdened to use my agricultural experience in helping thirsty and hungry people in the Sahel (the transitional area between the Sahara to the north and the savanna area to the south). However, our leadership at that time did not allow me to serve as an agriculturist because I did not have a degree in agriculture. 

After much prayer, we decided that during our furlough period in the states, I would pursue a degree in agriculture. We had to take a leave of absence to complete the master’s degree, and in the middle of my studies, our leader called me on the phone and said that he was ready for us to return immediately to the field because the Tennessee Baptist Convention would be approving a large scale development project and sending hundreds of volunteers to Upper Volta.  They wanted us back on the field right away to lead this project. 

I respectfully declined this request and told my leader that he was the one who had said that I could not be an agricultural evangelist because I did not have a degree, and that I intended to get that degree before returning to the field. I went on to say to him that someone in the future might say to me that I could not continue serving as an agriculturist because I did not have a degree. I knew that I was taking a risk by not agreeing to my leader’s request, so we did not know what was going to happen.

A couple of weeks later our leader called and said that Tennessee Baptists had agreed to postpone launching the project for one year and that we would still be able to lead the work when I completed my studies. I received my degree in mid December 1980, we were In Ouagadougou by the end of the month, and the first group of volunteers arrived the first week of January 1981. 

Refusing to accept my leader’s request to return to the field was a most unusual thing for me. Throughout my career I have prided myself in my loyalty to the brand. For most of my career I have only worked for three organizations, and I have been loyal to these organizations even to this day. 

The first chapter of Joshua has long been one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. During my recent second bout with cancer I often was reminded of this chapter’s admonition to be strong and courageous and not be afraid. 

Joshua 1:16-18 states: “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.” 

It was difficult to say no to my leader in that telephone call in the fall of 1979, but I felt that it was the right thing. I felt that his request was for the expediency of launching the project rather than what was best for our family. Through the seasons of our adult lives, Cheryl and I have learned that many times there are numerous “good things” that you can choose when facing decisions, but usually there is only one right thing to do when you want to honor the Lord.

Often I hear of someone making a tough decision, and they say I made the best decision I could make. Maybe the “best decision” is not always the “right” decision. I am going with the right decision every opportunity I get because the best one may not be the one the Lord wants me to do, but the right one should always be the one that will honor the Lord.