PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

August 21, 2022

MAKING CHOICES

Last week I started a three part series based on Roland Young’s This I Believe in which he shares 13 insights he developed over 88 years.  We looked at his first three insights.  This week I would like to look at #4, #5, and #7.  Each of them has to do with making decisions.

Insight #4: “I believe that people do things for their reasons and not your reasons.  Trying to understand the purpose of their behavior helps me to understand their behavior.”

Whenever I hear news about a shooting or a murder, one of the first questions I ask is “Why?”  What motivated the person or persons to carry out such a horrific act?  Understanding why they acted as they did helps me to assimilate the tragedy. At such times there is the tendency to jump to conclusions, based on inadequate information.  In time the person’s reason becomes known.  However, sometimes we never know.

Young’s 5th insight follows from the 4th: “Behavior is chosen; not caused.”  In I Samuel we read: “Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.  And Saul’s servants said to him, ‘See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you” (I Samuel 16:14).  Today, we would very likely describe King Saul as suffering from mental illness, possibly a bipolar disorder.  His illness was the cause of much of his bizarre behavior.

In spite of the fact that one can show exceptions to Young’s fifth insight, still much of our behavior is a result of choices we have made.  We cannot use Flip Wilson’s Geraldine’s favorite sayings “The devil made me do it.”  While we sometimes do not have any control over our circumstances, for the most part, we do have a choice how we shall respond to them.

Roland Young’s 7^th insight is “If you wait until you have all the facts, you will never make a decision.”  In the Lord’s response to Job, He reminds Job of his limited knowledge.  In part He says, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding.  Who determined its measurements –surely you know!  Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7)  We will never have all the facts.  Nevertheless, we must act based on the best information that we do have.

One of the possible decisions open to us is not to decide.  Not to decide has its’ own consequences and implications.  There are all kinds of maintenance issues involved with owning a home.  If they are not addressed, there is bound to be problems.  To decide to do nothing about them is inviting disaster.

Every day we are faced with making choices. Each of us has our own reason for the decisions we make.  We can never assume we know the reasons behind another person’s behavior.  They may be much different than our own.  Since much of our behavior is a result of choices we make, we do have some control over our actions.  However, there are exceptions where behavior is caused by circumstances.    While we may strive to have as much information as possible, we will never have all the facts.  There comes a point where we must choose based on the facts we do have.