IT HAS BEEN estimated that a person makes 35,000 decisions every day. Life is made up of decisions—both large and small. There are automatic decisions we daily make, such as what time to awaken, brushing our teeth, going to work, and what to eat. These are decisions we rarely realize we’re making. However, there are also major decisions that we make on a daily basis that can have a favorable or adverse effect on our life.
There’s a story told in management seminars about a young manager who was to replace a retiring executive. The young man asked, “Sir, I know of the success you’ve had in life and in this company. Could you share your secret?” The older man pondered and responded, “Three words: Make good decisions!”
“That’s good advice,” the young man replied as he wrote it down. “And what’s the key to making good decisions?” “One word,” the veteran executive replied, “Experience.” “And how do I get experience?” the eager young man asked as he scribbled “experience” on his paper. “Two words,” the retiring man answered, “Wrong decisions.”
I’m sure you can identify with this story. All of us have gained experience by making wrong decisions. Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Wrong decisions can lead us down the wrong path. Decisions determine your direction in life, and direction determines your destiny. It is important to make right decisions.
My dad always cautioned me with these words, “Lynette, before you make a decision, consider all of the ramifications and make sure you are willing to live with the consequences.” By applying that formula, I often realized that a decision I was contemplating would reap wrong consequences, leading me to choose differently.
Many people have made irreversible decisions that have set them on a wrong path for the rest of their life. God doesn’t make your choices for you. However, He will lead you down the right path to make the right choices through His Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit. But we must take the time to listen to His voice and direction.
Never make a decision based on today’s difficulties, without considering the effect it will have on your future. Don’t make decisions based on your human reasoning. Often, decisions are made under adverse circumstances. Don’t be hasty. Proverbs 19:2 (AMPC) says, “Desire without knowledge is not good, and to be overhasty is to sin and miss the mark.”
Many times my father-in-law would give me projects to carry out. I would need decisions from him to carry out the assignment. When I first began working with him, I became very frustrated when deadlines loomed, and he seemed to procrastinate in giving me his decision. He’d say, “I’m still seeking the Lord on the right direction for this.” Sometimes I thought, “I sure wish God would hurry because I’m on a deadline.”
As I had to sit and patiently wait on the answer, I learned a valuable lesson that I presently use in managing my staff. I learned the value of waiting on God for the perfect answer and instruction. Wrong decisions are often made because we’re not patient enough to wait and hear God’s instructions.
Psalms 25:4–5 (NLT) says, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” You don’t always get God’s direction when you want it. How do you hear from God? I talk to Him continually: when I’m getting ready in the morning, when I’m driving to work. I’m constantly reminding God that I need the answer to what I am asking.
It always seems that at an unexpected time, when I’m just thanking and praising God for Who He is and what He means to me, suddenly He gives me the answer and direction for that which I have asked.
I advise you to include God in every major decision you face, and He will always lead you down the right path. He knows your future, and He will set you up for a successful life.
Author
Lynette Hagin
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