The Secret to Making Great Decisions

Have you ever made a bad decision? Silly question right? 

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve bought my wife something she didn’t like. You think I would learn. But it gets so confusing! 

Why? Emotions. Let me explain. The closer we are emotionally to the situation, the cloudier the decision gets. Especially if it’s a big decision concerning those closest to us.

Think about it—how many bad relationship choices have we made in the past? How many products have we bought that we don’t need? How many parenting mistakes have we made? Hindsight tells us we could have made a better decision.

Yes we are human and living in a fallen world, so I’m NOT saying we will get it right every time. That’s a ridiculous and impossible standard to live up to. Let’s give ourselves grace. But I have come to realize there is a better way to make quality decisions.

I Discovered a Secret

Our recent move from Kansas City to rural Nebraska was one of the toughest decisions we have ever made. But looking back I discovered a secret. Good advice from wise people makes all the difference.

Proverbs 19:20 says it like this — “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.”

In other words, the secret to making great decisions is don’t go at it alone. Ask for wisdom!

Did you know the second most talk about subject in Proverbs is wise counsel? It’s the book of wisdom. Do you know what that means? The wisest book on the planet is telling us to seek good advice.  

We Don’t Ask Enough

Yet if you are like me, I rarely ask for advice. Why?

Maybe it’s a control thing. Or maybe we’re scared to be discovered lacking in some way. Or maybe we don’t know how to ask. Whatever the reason, I don’t think we ask for wise counsel enough and it’s hurting our decisions.

I can tell you without a shadow of doubt, the conversations with trusted friends, mentors, and family members, combined with times of prayer and scripture reading, made the decision to move obvious. What was up for debate for two years became crystal clear in a matter of months because of wise counsel.

Maybe you are considering a new job, relocation, or lifestyle change. Or maybe you are thinking about attending a different church, sending your kids to a different school, starting or ending a relationship, or trying to figure out how to manage technology in your family. 

Can I give you some advice? Ask a trusted friend what they think. 

You will never be able to see it crystal clear because your too close. Your emotions will cloud the decision. Ask for wisdom!

Ask For Wisdom

Ask your pastor, small group leader, trusted friend or family member to coffee and get their perspective. Find someone wise who is emotionally unattached to the situation and allow them to speak into it. Take that advice home and pray about it. Test it against scripture. Give it time to marinate. Then you’ll have the clarity and courage to make a great decision. 

This is what we did and the decision became obvious. Moving to Nebraska was our next step and I believe it’s been a great decision. This doesn’t mean we don’t have to walk through the emotions of saying goodbye to 17 years of life in KC, but we are excited and confident of our future.

Need to make a big decision? Ask for wisdom.

Question: Have you recently made a big decision? How did it go? Did you get wise advice?

Resource: Andy Stanley/North Point Church – Ask It