day 189: Decisiveness

The best leaders we can work for are those who, regardless if we like the outcome or not, we can count on for fast and well-thought out decisions. We've probably all worked for someone along the way who was wishy-washy or a slow decision maker or worse yet, someone who makes a decision and then when pushed or challenged, backs down and changes their mind. We don't like working for those people and enough of that and we get driven crazy. Every day we are faced with hundreds and hundreds of decisions and the ones that matter the most are the ones where others are counting on us to be decisive and provide clear direction or answers to a problem. Making decisions is not always easy. Many times we need input from others and we need the facts and the data to support the decision. Sometimes, the decisions are so hard and of such consequence that we wish they would go away or someone else would make them for us. I remember one person who I worked with who used to say, "a decision deferred is decision made." Yes, it drove me crazy. We actually get very good direction on how to go about making good decisions in the book of James. We read; "If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do." Even in James we are being told that we need to be decisive in our lives and to to be sure that we are not tossing back and forth in the way that we do or don't make up our minds. I find that the people who are the best decision makers also become the leaders that others look up to and follow. The question today for you is are you one of these people? Are you as decisive as you should be? As we read, God wants us to be, so today would be a great day to examine ourselves and see just how decisive we are.

Reference: James 1: 5-8 (New Living Testament)