‘Metaversal Moments’ Shape Everything

God provides crossroads where single decisions alter the entire trajectory of your life

I had breakfast with two men today—James Morin and Nait Jones—who understand something most people miss: life is not a gradual slope but a series of pivot points where single decisions reshape everything.

Nait told us about standing outside a nightclub in Kansas City at seventeen. A gang member handed him a gun, demanding he shoot the guy who'd slept with his girlfriend. "Pop that motherfucker," the Crip said. "If you don't take this gun, my homies are gonna fuck you up."

Nait was furious. Seventeen years old, betrayed, humiliated. The logical response was vengeance. Instead, he heard a voice telling him not to do it. He walked away.

The next day, those same guys showed up at his house looking for him while he was at work. His sister answered the door. They tried to push their way in. That forced his family to move, which meant changing high schools, which meant meeting a teacher who believed in him like no one ever had before.

That teacher changed everything. She saw potential in a Black kid from a rough neighborhood and convinced him he could achieve anything. Without her influence, Nait wouldn't have become the successful entrepreneur and spiritual mentor he is today.

"There will only be five decisions you ever make that will decide the entire outcome of your life," his mentor once told him. "And you won't know what they are when you're making them."

James experienced his own metaversal moment during COVID. He was dating someone, running a successful outdoor gear company in Maine, following the expected path. Then the pandemic hit. Orders canceled. The world stopped.

But instead of just surviving, James pivoted his company to manufacturing PPE. They sold three million face shields. The success gave him confidence to make bigger changes. More importantly, being locked in a one-bedroom apartment with his girlfriend revealed incompatibilities that might have taken years to surface otherwise.

COVID accelerated everything. What seemed like a crisis became clarity. The relationship ended, but James gained the courage to leave Maine entirely and start fresh in Austin. That move led to founding his current company and through friendships with people like Nait, discovering his calling to prioritize future fatherhood over pure ambition.

I've experienced these moments throughout my life. Getting bullied as a kid pushed me to the darkest place imaginable—standing on the second floor of my parents' home in Aurora, Illinois, with a belt in my hands, ready to end it all. The suicidal thoughts had gotten so overwhelming that hanging myself felt like the only escape. But some divine hand stopped me. I'm only here writing this because I chose life in that moment instead of death.

Two other examples:

• Being invited to Zuzalu by my friend Vincent felt uncertain, almost scammy. But accepting that invitation led to co-creating Edge City and building networks I never could have imagined.
• When my friend Matthew invited me to Vatican City for a tech conference, it seemed like a random opportunity. I almost didn't go because I was burnt out hosting my own events. But that "yes" opened the door to co-creating a digital transformation initiative for Pope Francis—and that network I built through that continues to give me opportunities that I'm still harvesting today.

Each time, what looked like random chance was actually divine orchestration providing exactly the opportunity I needed for the next phase of growth.

The pattern is always the same: crisis or opportunity arrives, you face a choice, and that single decision determines whether you level up or stay stuck. Most people don't recognize these moments when they're happening. They treat them like ordinary decisions instead of realizing they're standing at a crossroads that will define everything.

Here's what I've learned about metaversal moments:

They usually come disguised as problems. The crisis that forces you to make a hard choice often becomes the blessing that redirects your entire trajectory. COVID seemed catastrophic but created opportunities for people like James ready to adapt.

They require courage over comfort. Nait could have taken the gun and felt powerful in the moment. James could have stayed in his comfort zone in Maine with his family. The easy choice is rarely the transformative one.

They often involve spiritual warfare. These moments test whether you'll trust God's voice or follow your fallen nature. The enemy wants you to make decisions based on fear, pride, or immediate gratification rather than divine wisdom.

You can't force them, but you can prepare. You can't manufacture metaversal moments, but you can develop the character and spiritual sensitivity to recognize them when they arrive. Daily prayer, studying Scripture, and surrounding yourself with wise counsel create the foundation for good decisions under pressure.

The stakes are higher than they appear. What looks like choosing between two jobs or relationships is actually choosing between two completely different futures. The ripple effects compound over decades.

Most people sleepwalk through life, making decisions based on convenience or social pressure. They miss the moments when God is offering them a completely different trajectory. They choose the path of least resistance and wonder why their lives feel ordinary.

But when you understand that it is none other than God who provides these crossroads, you start paying attention differently. You pray before major decisions. You seek counsel from people who've walked with God longer than you have. You choose courage over comfort, truth over popularity, divine timing over human urgency.

The beautiful part is that God's timing is perfect. These moments arrive exactly when you're ready to handle the next level of responsibility and blessing. Not a moment sooner, not a moment later.

If you're facing what feels like a difficult decision right now, pause and ask: Is this a metaversal moment? Am I standing at a crossroads that will determine my trajectory for years to come?

Then choose the path that requires faith over the one that feels safe. Choose the option that aligns with God's design for your character over the one that satisfies your immediate desires. Choose the direction that serves others over the one that just serves yourself.

Your future (and eternal salvation) might rest on that decision.

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." — Proverbs 16:9