Good morning, my dear friends,
He was in his early twenties, just out of college, and only recently married. He came to see me to discuss a vocational decision he had to make between a high-paying job which would require extensive travel nearly weekly, and another position which paid considerably less but would allow him to be home each night. “What do you think I should do?” he asked. “How can I be sure I’m making the right decision?”
Most of us can identify with his predicament. Life is filled with decisions. As we move through life, time after time we will find ourselves at the crossroads debating a decision with which we’re faced. How do we know if we’re making the right choice?
Volumes could be written about this question, but there are a few simple things we should all remember. One is that making decisions and life go hand-in-hand. I’ve heard it said that human beings are free but not autonomous. This simply means that though we are free to say “yes” or “no,” we are not free to evade decision-making. Indecision is not possible in our kind of world. Either we make a decision or time will make it for us. James Russell Lowell once wrote, “Once to every man and nation comes a moment to decide / then the choice goes by forever.” Lowell was right. We only pass this way once, and the stream of life is always moving onward. If we refuse to decide, the stream moves on and makes our decision for us.
Another thing we need to remember is that once a choice is made, it is foolish to look back. Do you remember these ancient words? “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.'” I’m sure it’s natural to wonder how life would have been different had we made a different decision. Suppose we had chosen another profession or married a different person? What if we had moved to another place or gone to a different school or college? We can waste time reflecting on what might have been, but such thoughts seldom help. There is really no way of knowing how our world might have been different.
However, the most important thing to remember is that while our choices are final, they need not destroy us. A record producer tried to make a living posting YouTube videos of popular songs, but no one seemed interested or willing to watch them. So, he went at it a different way and produced a series entitled, “The 100 Worst Songs Ever Recorded,” and became an overnight sensation with over a million views. The old adage, “Where there is life, there is hope!” is profoundly true. We may not be able to take the same road again but we can always find another one.
Long ago, the apostle Paul penned a sentence the world still remembers: “All things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). Paul had discovered one of life’s most precious secrets. No decision need be totally disruptive if we live in faith and trust. Even bad things can work for good purposes.
Life demands that we make decisions, and once that decision is made, in some ways, that choice is forever. The river of life, however, has many tributaries and one is always on the horizon if we look for it. The key to successful living is to make decisions when they need to be made. But do not spend your time looking back. If the decision proves to be wrong, start looking for a way to make it right. You will find it if you are willing to look long enough.
No decision ever need be fatal,
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
