Thursday, June 13, 2013
How To Decide
A PLace For the God Hungry on making decisions:
Haste is the enemy of wisdom, as is expediency.
I wonder if we really value wisdom anymore? Especially as the church fights for survival. I am currently reading a book about soldiers in combat. One of the things I note is that the hotter the battle, the more the decision makers get deliberate. Sometimes this is very costly, but typically, over the long haul it makes for better decisions. I do know God is playing a long haul game - the real question is are we?
decisions wisdom
1. Be careful about drift. Sometimes we make poor decisions by drifting along with everyone else, not really thinking through what the group is doing. Far too many of us follow someone else’s lead and then later wonder why on earth they ended up doing something so out of character.
2. Consider where this train is going if you get on board. Perhaps you’ve known a family in which the mom, dad, and kids have a history of making poor decisions. You see their lives at some point and realize that the train has left the station and is going down the tracks. Somewhere along the way, there is going to be a crash. It is only a matter of when and where. Think about where you might end up if you pursue a particular course of action.
3. When faced with a decision that you feel even slightly uneasy about, ask yourself what the wisest person you know would do if he/she were to be faced with the same decision. Do you have a feel for what this person might do?
4. Consider who will be impacted by your decision. Sometimes when we are faced with a decision, we can totally focus on what we want to do. Yet, some decisions impact spouses, children, parents, friends, congregations, and many other people.
5. Pray for wisdom. One lady told me years ago, “I’ve got a right to do whatever I want.” Yet, there are many decisions we make in which the issue is not what we have a right to do. Rather, we need to be thinking about wisdom. What is best in this situation? What is the best thing for me to do?I think I can sum that up in one sentence, "The slippery slope is real." Seemingly innocent decisions today have consequences far beyond today, and often far beyond our immediate circle. Not to mention that even "up close" such decision are a step down a path, they are not a reshuffling of the feet while standing still.
Haste is the enemy of wisdom, as is expediency.
I wonder if we really value wisdom anymore? Especially as the church fights for survival. I am currently reading a book about soldiers in combat. One of the things I note is that the hotter the battle, the more the decision makers get deliberate. Sometimes this is very costly, but typically, over the long haul it makes for better decisions. I do know God is playing a long haul game - the real question is are we?
decisions wisdom
