Bad Decisions/Good Decisions
“You made a bad decision.” That’s what my brother-in-law and sister-in-law said to their son James after he did that very thing in his young life. The discipline that followed his bad decision was intended to help him understand what he had done and what were the effects of his actions. That’s a really good lesson to learn at such a young age.
For all of you who attended Stephanie’s and Brett’s wedding, you might remember that James made his bad decision as he was coming down the aisle as the ring bearer. He decided about 3 or 4 steps into his performance to toss the pillow. He took a couple more steps and decided to sit down in the middle of the aisle. It was a bad decision, but it was hysterical. It lifted some of the tension from the wedding party. It added to the tension of his parents, though.
That decision was not punishable by death or a beating. It was just one of those things that happens in weddings that everyone expects and looks forward to. However, there is a lasting effect from his decision. He is forever memorialized on video. We can pull that out and show it to him when he is 16 or 30 or 50 and remind him what he did. He was not thinking. He was just acting.
“You made a good decision!” You can probably think of a time when you or someone made a good decision because of conscious thought. Rebecca and I went through a time when we had to make a decision after much thought and consideration. We were in a situation that demanded a decision and we had to think long and hard about it.
We had to decide whether to stay in our previous work of ministry and do things that I was just not wanting to do. I could have made it work. We had some great friends there. We had invested our lives in that church. Austin and Aubri were born there. There were so many things that made it difficult to consider leaving.
However, after much thought and discussion, we decided to leave. That decision brought us to Richmond. I have never regretted that outcome. It was a good decision because we made it thoughtfully without quick reaction. We had been in decision-making process for about 2 years when we finally made it.
We need to be reminded that the decisions we make today could have lasting effects into the years to come. Our young people certainly need to learn this lesson. We also need to learn how to make good decisions. The Bible reminds us, “…for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) In the world of physics, there is a corollary that states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
God laid before His people this very concept. Through Moses, He told them, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God…for He is your life…” (Deuteronomy 30:15, 20). If we keep God’s will for us at the beginning point of every decision, we are much more likely to make good decisions that will lead to a good future, both here and in the hereafter.
— Mike Johnson
