Scripture says, “Figure out what pleases Christ and then do it” (Ephesians 5:10). That’s really the core message of Intentional Living, and I believe there are five catalysts that can help you become free to make godly decisions when indecision stands in your way.
Let’s look at one of them in this blog – Why am I indecisive?
Most of us tend to not make decisions for three reasons:
- We don’t know enough.
- We don’t care enough to make the decision.
- We don’t do enough to turn the decision into reality.
When we don’t know enough, we haven’t done our homework. We don’t have enough information to make an intelligent, informed decision.
When I decide just on the emotion, in the moment or feeling rushed to make a decision, when I don’t know what’s going on, it’s usually it’s the wrong decision, or at best, it’s a mediocre decision.
One of the questions you might want to ask yourself is, “Am I indecisive simply because I don’t know enough?” For instance, if you’re trying to decide about finances, you may not know a lot about finances. A lot of information is available. Experts are available to consult with you, to help you make decisions about investments, budgets or how the economy works.
I’ve found I need people to help me do that. We have a board of directors for the ministry, and I was very intentional to ask those who are smarter than I am, quicker than I am and have more life experience in some areas than I have, because they can guide me and help me to set the governance standards and set the course of the ministry.
Sometimes there’s just simply a lack of knowledge. We can Google anything, and you often find two sides to the same story – two facts, seemingly on the same question. That’s why you’ve got to be careful when seeking to make a decision to ensure you have the right sources of information.
In most decisions, when we obtain about 80% of the information that we need, (because we’re probably not going to get 100%), we can fall into procrastination. So, when you get about 80% of the information, that’s a good time to make the decision and act.
If you don’t know enough:
- Choose to learn.
- Get counsel.
- Talk to someone.
- Read.
- Study.
- And get input.
Another reason we can be indecisive is we don’t care enough. That’s a hard one, because sometimes we don’t want to acknowledge our values are such that this decision is just something we don’t care that much about. It may be something we’re feeling pushed into that really doesn’t matter all that much.
And when we arrive at that place sometimes, we must ask, “Does it matter to someone else?” Maybe it’s important to someone in our family, to our business, to the Lord or to our church.
If you arrive here, stop and ask, “What’s going on? Is it something I don’t value? Is it that it’s not that important to me?” That may help you really get beyond this point.
Finally, we don’t do enough. That’s when we procrastinate. Sometimes we just can get lazy. We just don’t do enough to get it done.
If I’m not highly motivated, I can go about 30% down the path and stop when I face resistance. Having resiliency and courage to get back up, keep moving and refuse to give up is a powerful thing.
When you think about indecision, be honest with yourself. Which of those three do you wrestle with the most?
As you think about breaking free from indecision, remember to figure out what pleases Christ and do it – which is taking action and then giving it to God for the outcome.
