In God we trust. All others we virus scan.
ANONYMOUS
After many years as a bachelor, Chris longed to find the woman of his dreams. But with no soul mate on the horizon, he decided the next best thing was to find the dog of his dreams. Surely fear of commitment would be easier to overcome with a dog than with a lady. There wouldn’t be a time-consuming and expensive dating process, either. He could just go online or cruise the local pet shops, check out all the doggies in the window, and pick one. That would be that.
Chris decided he’d go for a mutt—no fancy, high maintenance pup for him. He checked out the online site for the Pasadena Humane Society. Though he found a few cuties, when he went down to meet them in person he discovered they were already taken. Then, just as he was about to leave, a particularly unkempt dog caught his eye. It gave him such a friendly look that Chris had to stop. He knelt down and looked through the wire cage into this dog’s eyes. They were kind and gentle, and Chris felt an instant connection. He wondered if his heart was saying, “This is your canine soul mate.”
When Chris inquired about the dog, he learned she had a shattered hip, probably the result of being hit by a car. It had mended, but she had residual pain. For the rest of her life, this dog would walk with a limp and have to run on three legs.
Chris had a decision to make. Was this mangy, crippled stray the dog of his dreams? As he weighed the pros and cons, he felt the familiar fear of commitment creeping up his spine. What if he made the wrong choice? Luckily, this dog came with a warranty that eased his fear. The shelter workers told him that their dogs came with a guaranteed unconditional return policy. For as long as this dog lived, if things didn’t work out for any reason, Chris could bring her back.
Chris had to wonder, with a chuckle, if he’d have married by then had the women he dated come with a guarantee like that. In the case of the dog, it tipped the scales. This shelter had a great reputation. People he knew had had positive dealings with them. Chris threw caution to the winds and brought the dog home.
That was a few years ago, and Chris and Luna turned out to be a perfect match. The lowly Cinderella dog proved to be a princess and, like in the fairy tale, these two are living happily ever after. As for Chris finding his dream woman—stay tuned!
I have also been emboldened to make decisions based on warranties from reliable guarantors. We often shop at a very popular membership warehouse store. Normally, I’d never buy pants or shirts without trying them on. But because friends and relatives have told me this store has an amazing no-questions-asked return policy, I recently grabbed up a pair of pants and some shirts and fearlessly tossed them straight into the shopping cart. Likewise, I purchased a previously-owned laptop online, sight unseen, from a total stranger because that seller offered an eBay-approved warranty. That outfit’s reputation and track record made me feel confident I would not get stuck with a laptop lemon.
Guarantees are only as good as the source that backs them. Would Chris have taken Luna home if her guarantee was given by a guy selling dogs out of his van? Would I buy pants at a swap meet and believe I could get a refund two months later if they didn’t fit? Would I purchase a used laptop online because “Joe Private Party” assured me it was in perfect condition? No, no, no—because I’m afraid of making a wrong decision and I couldn’t trust the credibility of those guarantors.
Choosing pets, pants, and laptops is one thing. But what about the larger decisions of life? In a different way from Chris, I faced the fear of making a wrong choice when I was deciding whether to marry my wife. I was in grad school getting my MFA in screenwriting. This is not exactly like getting a degree in brain surgery. Arts degrees often translate into a freelance lifestyle, meaning you’re “free” from a regular paycheck and company health insurance. I had some fear about whether or not I could provide for Celine, and she did too. Luckily, we had a Guarantor of proven reliability we could turn to for reassurance—God.
Okay, so God didn’t offer us a return policy on each other. Scripture says marriage is meant to be for life. But He did guarantee He would provide for us as His children. In Philippians 4:19, God promises that He will “meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
That lifetime guarantee from God greatly eased our fear about getting married. We believed that regardless of our job situation or the size of our bank account, God would meet our needs as long as we walked with Him. After 12 years, the ever-faithful Backer of that guarantee is still keeping His word.
Scripture is filled with many other marvelous eternal guarantees and promises God offers because of His great love for us. Who knows what fears we might shake off and what decisions we might dare to make if we learned those promises and took Him at His Word?
Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled (Joshua 21:45).
Has a guarantee or warranty ever been a crucial factor in your decision-making? Did you have to use it? Was it honored? How has a promise of God helped you overcome fear and make a crucial choice?