Decisions

How are you at making decisions?  Do you feel you do a good job?  Do you often make the decision NOT to decide?  :)  I think that is the way it is with many of us.  Ask anybody older than 4 if they have made any bad decisions and their answer will most likely be "Yes".  So if we make so many bad decisions, why don't we learn to be better decision makers? 

I don't like to make decisions if it involves the lives of others and sometimes I don't even like to make decisions for myself.  But not a day goes by that we aren't required to make a multitude of decisions.  Some are less important such as "what should I wear today?" and "what should we have for supper?".  Some are more important though: such as "what should be my career choice?", "should I get married?", or "should I have children?"  And in making the really important decisions, I think we sometimes act too quickly.  We sometimes don't even ponder on the situation we just come to a conclusion and follow it.  Have you ever done that?  I imagine you join me in having to say--Sure did!  My kids and my students know that I won't let them use the word "mistake" very often.  Because most things we label as mistakes were really bad decisions.  I could write for hours talking about some of those in my life.  If you misspell a word--that is a mistake.  But those big life altering things that went awry--just bad decisions.  Sounds harsh, I know.  But when you really think about it honestly, isn't that the truth?

So is there a way we can avoid making even more bad decisions?  Yes.  Is it something difficult to do?  No.  It is really very simple.  When the time arises to make those really big decisions there are just a few steps to take.  Read your Bible for God's instructions, pray and give Him time to answer, and measure everything against what He has told you to do.  See how simple that is?  Yeah, I know------easier said than done!!  I just keep thinking of so many things I would have done differently if I had just followed the steps. (Probably not those things I listed earlier--I have a great job, I am still pretty satisfied with my marriage partner ;), and I wouldn't trade my two knot-headed boys for anything.)  But there are other things I would have done differently.  And yes, I know that everything I've gone through to this point has made me who I am today.  And no, I will not live my life in the past filled with regrets.  BUT--I wish, I WISH I had done some things much differently.

The good news is that I can follow these steps in all of the decisions that await me as time goes by.  But more than that, I hope that someone else--whether younger or older--will read these words and consider them when they are making decisions down the road.  Read. Pray. Wait. Measure.  That should become such a part of us that we don't even have to think about it.
:)

Proverbs 3:5-6
⁵Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
 ⁶In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.