day 1254: Hesitations

"And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering"

I believe that the adage is, "Necessity is the mother of invention."  I remember being taught in pee-wee baseball that "Hesitation is the mother of disaster".  It seemed true back then but as I have grown older, I would say that it is far from true in life.  Like the eskimos have many names for snow, hesitation can be thought of as 1) Good- hesitation that allows one to stop, think, sort their head and weigh out the consequences of a decision or move.  2) Bad - hesitation that comes from fear and uncertainty and removes the  possibility of making a move, even when calculated. 3)  Worst - hesitation that gets one stuck with no possibility of moving forward but with extreme anxiety and stress from not having done so.  So, hesitation as defined in scenario 2 and 3 are recipes for disaster, but scenario 1 can save us from disaster.  The question is, "How do we know the difference?"  The antidote lies somewhere in experience, trusting one's gut and instincts, relying on trusted advice and counsel and not allowing pride, hubris or arrogance get in the way of hearing that calm and caring voice within us.  It is an art, not a science.  It cannot be taught without real-word learning lab experiences.  But, mastering hesitation can be a game-changer and differentiation from good to great.

In our faith we all will find points where we waver.  On the surface it seems silly to do so, but in reality, hesitating and wavering is what is being reinforced all around us each day. What can we do about it?  We must countermand those messages with God's promises and assurances by staying close to Him.  He doesn't want us to live a life of hesitation.  He wants us to live a life of confidence and assurance. We are not alone in our hesitations.  All around us are believers in the same place.  We can strengthen each other by showing God's mercy and grace when someone else stumbles or wavers.

Reference: Jude 1:22 (New Living Translation)