Once you make a decision, you take the first step down a path that will, eventually, require more decisions. Whichever path you choose will demand that you decide to go this way... or that. Keep going... or turn back. And right now, much of the world seems to be facing a decision for which there is no easy answer. For some, to go one way means to feel coerced while to go another direction means to be denied conveniences or company employment. Others don't see a difficult decision at all which, in itself, is a decision to either let others decide something for them... OR.. agree with what some think should be done in this moment. Both are decisions that must be made at the individual level. Either decision will put you in one camp or the other. This is, in fact, the definition of a dilemma: a situation in which a difficult choice must be made between two or more equally undesirable alternatives.
This decision isn't just about immunity. It's about inclusion... acceptance... the ability to move about in society and maintain a standard of living without one being made to feel they must compromise their freedom. I've been forced into making difficult decisions before... come to the office NOW or find your belongings in a box beside the garbage dump. Thankfully, I didn't have much that needed to be packed. The box I went to retrieve wasn't very big. I remember calling my wife, who happened to be out of town that day, to discuss what had happened. After I told her, we just sat there for a while... on the phone... in silence. We knew it was the right decision and yet, the outcome felt quite unfavorable. I no longer had a job. Or insurance. With a toddler in tow and the news of a new baby only a few months later. I know this isn't quite the same as the decision many people are facing right now... but it kinda is.
Every day we are faced with decisions that force our hands in situations where we would rather not be. Indecision isn't just a decision to not take action... it's a choice to let a decision be made for you and I talk about this in the first entry in my book. My neglecting to shave led to me growing a beard. I didn't decide to grow a beard but I didn't do the thing that would prevent it. I just let it happen... without conscious effort. It just grew on its own. Life has a funny way of happening even if you don't tell it to. I'm not trying to oversimplify where many find themselves these days but I am praying people would realize they have more control in their lives than they might want to admit. It's just that choices come with chain reactions... outcomes that then require more choices. This won't be the last time that life demands a difficult decision and what I pray people remember is this...
Whatever decision you face... You can decide. It will be hard either way.
Every day you have to decide what you are willing to trade for what you have... what you have versus what you think you need. Do not make an important decision out of fear. Make peace with the path you need to take then trust that you did the right thing... whatever you decide.
Don’t judge other people’s values in these very personal decisions. A person's decision tells you what they value and you often have no idea the information or experience that was considered when making a decision. Remember Paul's talk about the law of love... not letting what someone eats or doesn't eat make you view another as clean or unclean? (Romans 14:14-18) As a former HR guy, I have to tell you... even when it comes to company mandates, there are reasons behind the decisions that are made for which most people don't have all the information. And quite honestly... they don't care. Most people just get mad when they are made to choose between following a policy or handing in their badge. I've been on both sides of this decision coin, reminding employees that they do have a choice... one will lead to continued employment and one will lead to me having to release them to find success elsewhere. The choice is one that only they can make and deciding, either way, isn't always easy so I just want to say...
Don't leave this decision to the flip of a coin. Do what you feel you should do. You don't know what's around the corner on whichever path you choose. But you can know, with certainty, if you have made the decision to follow the One who does know what's coming...
You won't be left in the dust. Just saying.
"... for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." - 2 Timothy 1:12
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