THE GOOD IN BAD DECISIONS
One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. Rom. 14:5, R.S.V.
No one likes to be wrong. But some people fear being wrong to the extent that it keeps them from making needed decisions. Perhaps somewhere in their lives they were made to feel that making a wrong decision was equal to having a defective character.
Are not children often told, "Good girls [boys] don't do that," as if the issue were their goodness rather than the logic behind their choice? Children treated in this manner are not encouraged to think; they are conditioned to try to please their parents and teachers. Reaching adulthood, they carry with them the idea that good people make only right decisions.
Christians are especially prone to such thinking. It is too easy for one believer to look rather askance at another believer because he made a faulty decision. Surely, if he were being "led by the Lord" he wouldn't have erred, right? You know, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20).
Our text today says, "Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind." How does one become "fully convinced in his own mind"? It is by learning through experience to discern truth. This is illustrated in a little story told of Bernard Baruch. He was asked, "To what do you attribute your success?" He replied, "To making the correct decisions." "How do you know what the correct decisions are?" "From experience." "How do you get the experience?" "By making wrong decisions."
God understands that sometimes we err as we process information--not because we are bad people but because we are learning as we go along. He would rather we keep processing, keep on making decisions, albeit bad ones, than allow ourselves to become mired in indecision. He can work with our errors; He cannot correct wrong thinking if we never own up to it. Perhaps that is why, when addressing the Laodicean church, He says, "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!" (Rev. 3:15, R.S.V.).
I am impressed by the way God handles error-ridden humanity. He gives us room to grow, to make decisions, even bad ones. He knows what He's doing. He's giving us back our sense of self-worth while we strive to know for ourselves the meaning of life.
One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. Rom. 14:5, R.S.V.
No one likes to be wrong. But some people fear being wrong to the extent that it keeps them from making needed decisions. Perhaps somewhere in their lives they were made to feel that making a wrong decision was equal to having a defective character.
Are not children often told, "Good girls [boys] don't do that," as if the issue were their goodness rather than the logic behind their choice? Children treated in this manner are not encouraged to think; they are conditioned to try to please their parents and teachers. Reaching adulthood, they carry with them the idea that good people make only right decisions.
Christians are especially prone to such thinking. It is too easy for one believer to look rather askance at another believer because he made a faulty decision. Surely, if he were being "led by the Lord" he wouldn't have erred, right? You know, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7:20).
Our text today says, "Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind." How does one become "fully convinced in his own mind"? It is by learning through experience to discern truth. This is illustrated in a little story told of Bernard Baruch. He was asked, "To what do you attribute your success?" He replied, "To making the correct decisions." "How do you know what the correct decisions are?" "From experience." "How do you get the experience?" "By making wrong decisions."
God understands that sometimes we err as we process information--not because we are bad people but because we are learning as we go along. He would rather we keep processing, keep on making decisions, albeit bad ones, than allow ourselves to become mired in indecision. He can work with our errors; He cannot correct wrong thinking if we never own up to it. Perhaps that is why, when addressing the Laodicean church, He says, "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!" (Rev. 3:15, R.S.V.).
I am impressed by the way God handles error-ridden humanity. He gives us room to grow, to make decisions, even bad ones. He knows what He's doing. He's giving us back our sense of self-worth while we strive to know for ourselves the meaning of life.
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