Decisions, Decisions. How Can I Make Good Ones?
Are you a good decision-maker? Do you have a process to evaluate both sides of a choice? Some decisions are easier- like what color shirt to wear or what’s for dinner. But choosing a marriage partner, home purchase, or end-of-life decisions are not easy. These choices can impact many people, not just you. And maybe you, like me, have often felt stuck in between ‘woulda, shoulda, coulda’ (a missed opportunity) and, ‘oops!, I jumped too soon!, now I’m stuck! …Neither of those is any fun. Carol and I had to decide whether or not to come and help CCC find a new Pastor- and we’re glad God led us to do it! Right now, your Transition Team is seeking the Lord’s guidance as we move through the 6 Stages. Pray for us in the many choices that we face.
God wants you to make wise decisions, too- and He promises to help you. Jesus set the example by using His Father to help decide when He said, “not My will but Yours be done.”(Luke 22:44) Easy to say, but tough to do under pressure.
I like to think of my 4 fingers and thumb when making decisions..
Your thumb helps you grip really hard- for me, that’s the Bible- which gives us wise boundaries of right and wrong, and how to treat people.
Your index finger (next in importance) is prayer and the Holy Spirit. God puts His Spirit in His followers to help guide our thinking in life’s fluid (and sometimes sticky) situations. A closer walk with Him, including prayer, can make tough decisions clearer.
The 3rd component, (‘middle finger’) is mature friends. When I’m at a crossroads, I’ve often called 5 friends who are mature in Christ to get their input. This has helped reduce emotion and added perspective for me. (especially my wife Carol, who seems to see the future better than I do)!
The 4th, or ring finger is current circumstances. Sometimes it’s obvious a decision doesn’t fit your life. For instance, imagine deciding to move to Africa to drill for oil- when you’re engaged to be married, in debt, and in the middle of your college years. Africa doesn’t make much sense- or at least the timing doesn’t fit. Now, there are times when good decisions fly against circumstances- but that’s unusual. Don’t ‘force’ circumstances.
Your little finger in good decision making is your gut. It’s the smallest!, so it should have last place! I admit, intuition plays a role in how I think, but I’ve found (sometimes the hard way) that ‘hunches’ can be dangerously misleading and aren’t enough for solid future planning. But sometimes God uses intuition to nudge you toward His will.
So that’s my five ‘handy’ ways of getting a grip on decision making. No one knows the future- and God does not promise decision making will be easy. You won’t be right on every decision…but these five have helped me to get a grip on life choices and they keep God in the formula of my thinking.
God’s Word and His people can help you make good decisions. If you’re not attending church now, why not get back into it at CCC?... worship at 10:30 am every Sunday. We have toe-tapping music, practical messages, and classes for kids!
Pastor Mark Rathe