Dealing With Bad Decisions

Dealing with bad decisionsWe face moments of decision. They come at us sometimes in ways where we can plan for them after careful pondering. But most of them come at us suddenly and without warning. We have to decide or we feel we have to decide immediately. We do decide.Then after we have decided. After the die is cast. It becomes clear that our decision was not good or right. It was not sane. It was all wrong. But it is past taking back many times. No way to rewind. No way to redo.So what can we do?First, we need to confess our sins and hope in the grace of God to forgive us. (1 John 1:8-10).Second, we can do in-depth confession and look what was behind our poor decisions.Did we fear rejection more than we loved truth? Were we calculating advantages to sin? Did doing right have a price tag we were not willing to pay? We need to look for our motives as well as see our actions. These are the root of our disobedience and the reason why “in the moment” we fail. It is out of the inner hearts that our bad decisions come so only a transformation of heart will lead to better decisions in the long road.Third, we can try to build in a “red alert” awareness that decisions are being made and practice a moment when we back away from those pressing us to decide. This is very hard to do. To just say “give me a moment to think” is not a normal thing in our society. We pride ourselves on being quick deciders. But most of our bad decisions are made in a rush. So slowing down our decision making and giving ourselves even a minute (60 seconds) of silence before we decide could help us avoid many bad choices.Our lives are made up of decisions. Many made very fast. Sometimes having massive consequences. So recognizing the importance of decisions and the need to avoid as many bad decisions as we can is a critical life skill.May the Lord have mercy on all of us as we make decisions this day. Lord help us to make the most wise and moral choices we can today. Amen