Decisions, decisions…

Are you the type of person who likes making decisions, or the type that avoids it at all costs?  I feel as though pretty much everyone fits into one category or the other, I don’t see there being much middle ground on this one.

If you are the type to avoid decision making, ask yourself why.  What keeps you from wanting to make them?  The responsibility?  The pressure to be right?  Past failures?  The list could go on and on for possible reasons.  Only you can figure that part out for yourself.  Avoiding decisions robs you of the ability to have any control over your life.  Making decisions is a crucial part of making your life to be fulfilling for yourself.  Abandoning that ability gives others power over you that you would otherwise have yourself.

I spent most of my life scared to make decisions.  I followed others around me all the time.  I didn’t want to stand out, I didn’t want to be put on the spot, I didn’t want to make tough calls when needed.  I simply wanted to go through life on cruise control and just maintain the life I had at the time and had no real desire to grow.  I kept myself in a box that I didn’t see a way out of.  I felt stuck, unfulfilled, and honestly unhappy for most of those years. 

Lately, I’ve changed how I see the decision-making process.  I see it as giving yourself the power to change your life and the lives of others.  I see it as freedom and strength.  I no longer fear those tough calls I must make.  I look forward to opportunities to improve the lives of my family.  I strive to be a positive leader at work.  I strive to help others in my community to find their own strength to quit being sheep in a world of wolves. 

When broken down, life is just a series of decisions.  From what time to wake up in the morning, to what to eat at each meal.  They are all decisions we have to make.  The ones that change our lives are the big ones.  Where we should work, should I start that business, which church should I attend, should I watch TV all evening or study something positive?  These are all simple examples of decisions that can change our lives very easily. 

Another part of making decisions is to stick by them!  I see a lot of people make a decision then think about it more and backtrack and sometimes even reverse their prior decision.  By doing this you get into a pattern of never making a real decision.  You become someone who doesn’t have stability in their lives because you never stick by your own decisions, and probably don’t follow anyone else’s either.

Our decisions also affect our moods and emotions.  We like to allow others to affect how we view ourselves.  You can simply decide to become unoffendable and that gives you immense power to deal with difficult situations.  I read a book years ago about that and it finally clicked recently as to what he was describing.

Life can be described as making one decision after another.  Let’s be sure we are making the best ones possible.

'If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. '

James 1:5-6