An abundance of options prevails in our lives. To my wife and me, simply choosing something to watch from a streaming video service on Saturday night after the Sabbath has become a chore! I remember when watching something on TV was limited to about half a dozen channels broadcast over the air, and even further limited by the scheduled programming of those stations.  Certainly, we had less to choose from, but it made the process of deciding a whole lot simpler.

“The Paradox of Choice” is the title of a book, published by author Barry Schwartz in 2004. In this book, Schwartz explains how having a multitude of choices in the modern world counterintuitively causes people to be less happy with their decisions. Having too many options turns out to make people less likely to feel that they have made the best decision. Yet still, people gravitate towards shaping their circumstances, so they have the greatest possible set of options to choose from. Ironically, this only works against their best interests. Maybe you can relate.

Adam and Eve began by making a choice that set the course for humankind in the way that many of their descendants would make wrong decisions. They chose the way of worldly wisdom, which is not satisfied with the simplicity of godly wisdom. After eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened to a multitude of options. The vast majority of those options lead humankind towards the satisfaction of carnal desires, but further and further away from the true joy that comes from turning to God instead.

The book referenced above was written in the past 20 years, being acclaimed for its novel findings about the abundance of choice leading to a life of dissatisfaction. But the Bible revealed this problem thousands of years ago. God warned Adam and Eve that following the path of worldly wisdom, symbolized by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, would result in death (compare Genesis 2:17) and suffering (compare Genesis 3:16-19). The way of life Adam and Eve chose brought about the current state of the world. And so, today we have choices that interminably grow in number. But they will never lead us to find true fulfillment.

Fortunately, there is a better way. And it does not (necessarily) require canceling subscriptions or living off the grid. God’s Holy Spirit gives us the opportunity to choose differently. The options in life that the world offers will only provide worldly experiences. But God, through His Holy Spirit, helps us to understand that the path to a life of truly deep satisfaction is to simply obey God and love the way of life He provides. The abundance of choices available in our lives will continue to be there, but in a life dedicated to God they do not matter. They cannot provide the kind of satisfaction that a life guided by godly wisdom does.

Solomon had tremendous abundance in his life. He had so much wealth that he could have whatever he wanted that money could buy. Yet, it did not give him the satisfaction he sought. It was all a vain pursuit (compare Ecclesiastes 2:9-11). He experienced the paradox of choice as we do today. In his wisdom, he understood the solution to the paradox. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). The simple secret to living a satisfied life is to obey God.

We understand that our joy comes from refusing to participate in the paradox of choice. Simplifying our lives by reducing our options might make it easier to choose a movie to watch, but it may not guide us to abound in the Spirit. The true happiness that God provides comes from putting the power of the Holy Spirit to work, giving us godly discernment to judge righteously. Satisfaction comes from a life well-lived, choosing the path that leads to life resulting from godly obedience and wisdom.

God gives us all kinds of experiences to enjoy. And sometimes, He gives us experiences that we do not enjoy. We don’t necessarily get to choose what our circumstances are, but we get to choose how we respond. The choices we make in reaction to our circumstances demonstrate the motivations of our heart. It is not only our action, but also our heart which God will judge (compare Jeremiah 11:20). This is why we get to have such a wide array of experiences. God tests us, expecting that we will navigate through our experiences, good and bad, without forsaking Him.

There are many stories in the Bible that review the range of experiences of being human. I am particularly fond of the story of Hannah. It gives us an example showing the unwavering trust in God through the good and the bad circumstances she experienced. She was barren for years, and at the brink of desperation, desiring a child. She pleaded before God to allow her to have a little boy of her own. Then she conceived and became tremendously thankful. To honor God’s generosity and mercy, she gave custody of her boy Samuel to the priest, placing him into the service of God. She proved her faith in the most trying times and then glorified God when He blessed her with the child she pleaded for (compare 1 Samuel 1:1-28).

We can learn much from Hannah’s attitude. In her song recorded in the Bible, we read about her wise perspective regarding God’s involvement in people’s lives: “The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, And He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail” (1 Samuel 2:6-9).

From her words we understand how she acknowledges the power of God to expose us to experiences that run the gamut, from desperation to delight. However, she is wise enough to recognize that what really matters is that He is totally involved in the lives of His people, whether times are good or bad. Her response in both the good times and the tough times demonstrated consistent trust in Him, giving Him glory through it all. The range of circumstances that God allows or even prepares for us are there for us to learn from and use for our growth. The best part about His involvement is the overarching intent He has for us. He will protect and ultimately glorify those saints who are faithful to Him.

Sometimes, we might feel that life is not fair. But we must remember, God knows what He is doing and that He cares for us. Whatever it is that we experience is what He knows about and sometimes even directly prepares for us, so that we can take it as an opportunity to do good works (compare Ephesians 2:10). He knows that we can endure through the hard times. He gives us experiences to learn from, and in that, we should see those difficult circumstances as being valuable. When we are able to acknowledge this fact, it is easier to respond in faith, trusting Him as in the example of Hannah.

God never promised that life would be easy for those who obey Him. But He does promise that those who endure to the end will be saved (compare Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13). We can trust in this, helping us to not get distracted by the challenges we face.