Reading

  • The Writings of the New Testament
  • The Pursuit of God - Tozer

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Lights and Perfections

(Pre-Script: Urim and Thummin translate as Lights and Perfections)

Decisions area beastly things. I find them hard to make.

I said in my last blog that I'm not an impulse buyer. I have a theory that the manner in which people shop is a reflection of their decision making personality in the rest of life, especially in relationships. I will think about things for a long time, and sometimes buy them, return them and then buy them again...if it's still there when i go back. I keep receipts for a long time just in case something goes wrong. I am cautious and not impulsive. Somewhere I began to question my own judgment, not really sure why but I like to be able to talk through things with someone, have a sounding board.

I made my decision from the other day. I decided to stay on for another five months at my school. maybe it doesn't seem like a big decision to other people but it was for me. i felt exhausted after making that decision by myself. I felt pretty uneasy after I said I would stay but i think i'm okay with it now. maybe it was partially the coffee i drank. it does weird things to me.

I think I always figure that the hardest thing is the right decision. That whatever might be the most difficult is always the right thing. But here's a question: what if it isn't? There are times when I have chosen the harder side of things and still don't know if it was the right thing to do. I mean I'm still alive and kicking but no real answer either way. And then times when I wish I had had enough guts to make the hard decision instead of wallowing in indecisiveness for so long.

Maybe the reality is this. Maybe there are very few bad decisions. I mean if something isn't God honoring or is destructive to yourself or another human being than it is probably a bad decision. But beyond that, maybe there are very few wrong decisions. I don't know. I hope big decisions I have made in the past were okay. I can't go back and fix them now, fortunately or unfortunately. God can work in any moment and in anything, so now I guess I ask him where we go from here. Ask him to keep my eyes open for the evidence of him on this next little path.

I think one bit of resolution that I have from thinking about decisions and decision making, is that I have to trust that if I made the wrong decision or made a bad move even though I prayed about it and such, that God is big enough to take care of it and to fix it, if it needs to be fixed. I have a hard time trusting that, but I have to believe in that. He is big enough.

4 comments:

Michelle said...

ps: can't wait for structural engineering!! best ever!

Michelle said...

"I have a theory that the manner in which people shop is a reflection of their decision making personality in the rest of life, especially in relationships."

-interesting.... it's a good thought. I will think about that.

and I liked your last paragraph...
"I have to trust that if I made the wrong decision or made a bad move even though I prayed about it and such, that God is big enough to take care of it and to fix it, if it needs to be fixed. I have a hard time trusting that, but I have to believe in that. He is big enough."

check. good call Lise...

loves

IanShorten said...

I disagree with the idea that the way you shop is a reflection of a persons decision making personality in the rest of life. There are a few people I know that would be perfect examples of your theory being correct. At the same time however I know a few others that completely dispell the notion that the two are related. I'd write more but I'm going to retry going to bed.

Jacob said...

Your shopping theory is interesting. When I buy stuff I don't care about I do it quickly, like tearing off a band-aid. When I buy things I do care about (however cheap and trivial they may actually be) I take forever about it. I almost never return stuff.

I look at decisions and consequences from a fairly un-spiritual perspective. We don't know everything, therefore we frequently make decisions that end up having unfortunate consequences. None of it has much to do with God, except that he made the world this way, and he seems to be fine with it.

From my own (very limited) experience, I don't think God protects us from horrible consequences of decisions made prayerfully in ignorence. But you know Him better than I.

I like your writing.