Over the past several weeks, I hope that I have communicated the message that whether or not we realize it at the time, all our words, actions and attitudes reflect choices. That being the case, there is a great need to lay a solid foundation to decision-making. Good decision-making involves the acceptance of two basic principles:

A.  We all have the power, however limiting, to decide what we do and what we say.

Sometimes the power to choose is not self-evident. Outside control and inner emotions can leave one feeling powerless. We may not have the power to do everything we want to do, but we still have the power to decide what to do with what we have. And that is power enough. We are only making excuses if we say that we didn't have the power to decide.

Note: It is my understanding that this power which resides in every person who comes into this world is a "delegated power", shared between the Creator and the Created. As human beings, we are not autonomous but have been created to be in relationship with That Someone who is greater than ourselves. When we come into harmony with the Creator, a new infusion of power enters our lives. We become empowered. What we previously were powerless to do, Christ now empowers us through His Spirit to live a quality of life that was impossible to attain on our own! The apostle Paul describes his own experience in these words:

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.....For what I do is not the good I want to do...What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7)

B.  We are morally responsible for the consequences of our choices.

Young or immature individuals are notorious for laying the blame for their actions on others: "You made me lie," "I had to take the car without your permission," "I had no choice," "It just happened." Remember the story of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden? When God confronted Adam for his decision to eat of the forbidden tree note his response:

"The man said, 'The woman you put here with me - she gave some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.' ---- "The woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
(Genesis 3:12,13b)

Anger, frustration, fear and passion are not acceptable excuses for bad choices. Neither is simple disobedience! The bottom line is that we make the choices - and we must be prepared to morally accept the responsibilities for the consequences of those choices.

Taking choices seriously

Throughout a day, thousands of decisions are made - most of which do not justify much examination. They are simple, repetitive or without significant consequence. In such cases, it may be safe to just go with our feelings. It's OK to decide spontaneously what to wear and eat and what to say in casual conversations. When the issues are not morally complex and the stakes are small, our normal instincts are sufficient.

The problem comes when we don't distinguish between minor and potentially major issues, when we "go with the flow" in situations that demand a much more careful approach.

It is true that reflection does not come naturally to everyone. That is why it is so important for parents to sharpen their children's instincts about what matters and what doesn't. This will serve them all through their lives.

The simple formula is: the greater the potential consequences, the greater the need for careful decision-making. To help identify important decisions, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Could you or someone else suffer physical harm?
2. Could you or someone else suffer serious emotional pain?
3. Could the decision hurt your reputation, undermine your credibility, or damage important relationships?
4. Could the decision impede the achievement of any important goal?

Good Decisions Are Both Ethical and Effective

It is not an either/or" but "both".

A decision is ethical when it is consistent with the Six Pillars of Character - ethical decisions generate and sustain trust; demonstrate respect, responsibility, fairness and caring; and are consistent with good citizenship. If we lie to get something we want and we get it, the decision might well be called "effective", but it is also unethical.  An ethical decision will never contradict either the 10 Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount as taught by Jesus Christ!

A decision is effective if it accomplishes something we want to happen, if it advances our purposes. A simple test is: are you satisfied with the results? A choice that produces unintended and undesirable results is ineffective. For example, if we make a casual remark to make someone feel good but it makes him feel bad instead, we were ineffective. If we decide to do something we really don't want to do just to please a friend and the decision ends up getting us in serious trouble, it's ineffective. The key to making effective decisions is to think about choices in terms of their ability to accomplish our most important goals. This means we have to understand the difference between immediate and short-term goals and longer-range goals.

(To Be Cont'd)

Note: Some of this week's article has been taken from Michael Josephson' book "Making Ethical Decisions".