Experiencing life with an Abiding Friend like Tara typically brings a bit of whimsy, and I dearly hope you have a friend like her in your life. Although we don’t have the opportunity to spend as much time together in this season of life, Tara is a gift threaded throughout my memories and scrapbooks, and we usually pick up right where we left off, regardless of the time that passes in between.

This week I was reminded of an unforgettable moment with Tara as we traveled home from attending a professional tennis match in Mason, Ohio. Across the highway from our hotel was an amusement park, King’s Island, and we were having difficulty deciding if we wanted to go before returning to Tennessee. We were both on the fence, willing to accept either option to Stay or Go, so Tara’s solution to our dilemma was that the word we heard first on the radio would provide our answer. If we heard a “yes,” we would spend the day enjoying rides. If we heard a “no,” we would continue to Jackson.

While reading Jen Wilkin’s Women of the Word this week, I reflected on that moment in the car with Tara as I read over the unhelpful habits we sometimes utilize in our efforts to study Scripture. Wilkin uses the term “The Magic 8 Ball Approach,” referring to the toy popular in the 1970s, to explain how we sometimes desire for Scripture to answer life questions with a Yes or No, Stay or Go. “Remember the Magic 8 Ball? It could answer even our most difficult questions as a child. But I’m an adult now, and I’m wondering if I should marry Bob, get a new job, or change my hair color.”

Even the hospitality industry understands this need we sometimes have for quick, simple answers, as demonstrated by Choice Hotels in 2015. Using the song “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” in their tv ads, we view travelers navigating the question of where their next destination should be. Stay or Go? Choice Hotels will be there. Often a much easier decision than what I witness students, friends, and colleagues grappling with on a regular basis—students wondering about staying and being a graduate assistant or moving on; student-athletes decision over using their covid-year eligibility; is it time to change employers; is now the best time to move to a new location; is it time to move on from this relationship—choosing to Stay or Go when site-seeing or traveling seems doable with a Magic 8 Ball; however, major life decisions often require a bit more discernment.

Wilkins offers, “The Bible is not magical and it does not serve our whims…The Magic 8 Ball Approach misconstrues the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Word, demanding that the Bible tell us what to do rather than who to be…A well-rounded approach to Bible study recognizes that the Bible is always more concerned with the decision-maker than with the decision itself. Its aim is to change our hearts so that we desire what God desires, rather than to spoon-feed us answers to every decision in life.”

Admittedly, I often desire to use this approach to ending a challenging season by giving “my Bible a vigorous shake and open it. Placing my finger blindly on a verse, I then read to see if ‘signs point to a yes.’” This yes or no, Stop or Go approach, may appear simple, but it does withdraw the responsibility we have to discern God’s will for events in our lives, to seek His heart above all else, and trust that He will guide us down the correct path. We may not be able to see into the future; however, Psalm 139 reminds us that anywhere we go, His hand will guide us. And even when we make an unwise choice, and sometimes we will, He can redeem the situation to help us achieve our God-given purpose in this life.

For Tara and me, the radio’s answer was “yes,” so we enjoyed a hot August day on roller coasters and rides, honestly taking one of the funniest photos of my life. Today, I wish I had splurged on the exorbitant price back then, but the memory will have to be relished only in my mind. I don’t recommend this whimsical approach to significant life decisions, but I highly recommend the use of Scripture to guide you. May you join me and others as we decide to take a wise approach and increase our Bible literacy so that our decisions are grounded in something more than a plastic toy with random answers.

References:

Jones, M. & Strummer, J. (1982). Should I Stay or Should I Go. [Recorded by The Clash]. On Combat Rock [Album]. Retrieved from https://www.ispot.tv/ad/ABZ0/choice-hotels-travel-season-song-by-the-clash

Wilkin, J. (2014). Women of the Word: How to study the Bible with both our hearts and our minds. Crossway.