Decision Making

By Linda Hogue

I had a really big decision to make. It was life-changing. It was the kind of thing that, once it is made, there is no going back. It would change everything….

Most days, I was very enthusiastic. Everything pointed to a YES answer. It seemed everything in my life had been pointing to this very thing, yet there was a nagging sense at times that perhaps I was reading too much into circumstances. Perhaps this would be a diversion that would end up in disaster. After all, my life at present was really good. Why change all that?

It was during this quandary that I encountered a stranger who came to change the way I think about decision making. We were seated next to one another on a flight from Buffalo to San Diego. He had no idea the dilemma I was facing when he began talking about the will of God. Imagine! He introduced himself as a Christian counselor in San Diego, and for some reason began telling me how he thinks we Christians drive ourselves nuts trying to make perfect decisions.

He said that we put these choices into the wrong category. We think of them as “right” or “wrong,” when we should in fact think of them as “good” or “bad,” or even “not as good.” His idea is that we stop looking for that one perfect choice, and just use wisdom and go with what seems to be a good choice. There will be adjustments along the way, as circumstances and further information come into play, but we will be moving in a good direction.

Now, God says a lot about wisdom in His book. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are discussed all throughout the Bible, as if He expects us to learn them and use them. He won’t bless us because we made the perfect choice, but because we belong to Him. His intentions toward us are good! Is there only one choice He will bless? I don’t think so. He blesses people, not situations. We can walk in freedom—freedom to choose well, freedom to make adjustments, freedom to learn as we go. We can rest in that.

So I made the decision to change my good life for another good life. Was it better? I think it turned out that way, but it was not without extremely rocky paths along the way—ones that seems insurmountable at times. So you see, it wasn’t perfect. But it was good. I believe I’m better for it, and it is one of the things I look back on with satisfaction for having done it. It changed everything, including me.