Decisions and outcomes
The choices we have in life can lead to indecision. Think eating out: what color to paint a room, what vehicle to purchase, brands to compare to, what to have for dinner tonight, which program to watch for entertainment, or what strategy to employ for better health.
It’s remarkable and understandable how one decision, good or bad, can change the course of history, for countries, organizations, teams, and your own life. Who makes decisions for whom? Who is affected, influenced, and changed because of choices decided on?
Dating choices, marriage choices, how many children to have, seeking medical treatment, diet factors, where to live, career choices, education, drugs, criminal activity, friendships, churches … When you evaluate all the options and alternatives, it can become overwhelming to the point that its mind-numbing to consider all the potential ramifications of choices.
Life can sometimes feel like the carnival slot peg game. But life isn’t all chance where you simply jump in and see what direction you go and how you land. “Whatever will be will be” may be a nice song phrase but not the reality. You can and should make positive life(style) decisions for your self and family. Think of how your decisions affect others, their life, and how indecision lets our fate fall out of our hands.
One act cost Moses, (Numbers 20:1-13), one act cost Adam and Eve (Gen 3), one act cost Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) what one act of disobedience cost us a blessing, a future! It doesn’t always have to be a lifestyle; how many people have ruined their lives by one bad decision! Distracted driving? A fit of rage, a lustful choice. How many one-time decisions led to another and then another and finally it is a lifestyle or addiction?
How one good decision can alter course of life. Joshua took a stand and said, “Choose you this day who you will serve.” (Joshua 24:14-15) Solomon choose wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-15, and 4:29-34). The outcomes or assessments of good and bad choices can be made as revealed in the short- and long-term results. Not always for the individual self, but also for other affected parties.
I ask the reader to take a few minutes to reflect on how not just their choices but perhaps choices/decisions made for you by others, have altered the trajectory, and standing of your life. Maybe parental choices affected your future which now is your present? Or an employer, church leader, teacher, friend, siblings, children, laws, rules, pandemic issues, health care recommendations?
And then consider how the choices/decisions you have made have transformed, improved, or hindered the years of this journey. What about the decisions moving forward? What can you change, even if it will take a while? What (dis)advantages have disproportionally touched your life positively/negatively because of the determinations of others that had influence into your life?
You can change your future even if it’s in small incremental steps. Or it takes time. What is unhealthy or negative in your life that can be changed or modified? Prioritize those items and develop an action plan for improvement. Don’t get bogged down by indecision, which again, is a decision. Perhaps involve some responsible person who has your best interest at heart to help get you launched.
There’s no getting around the fact that there are some things that come our way that will affect us adversely and we can’t do anything about it; however, what we can control, we should.
One of the things that we can control is our faith. Our spiritual well-being. The single most important decision that needs to be considered is, where is a person with their relationship with God?
Where do you stand with your relationship to God? What decisive factors have influenced you? What can you, or should you change? The best decisions you can make are the ones that move you closer to God. Maybe you need to pick up on spiritual disciplines such as devotions, scripture review, church attendance, giving?
What decisions by yourself or others have made your walk with God less than it should or could be? The ball is in your court, as the saying goes; how well you play depends on your decisions.