“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14, ESV)
Making Godly Decisions
Initially, I had named this series of posts, “Seeking God’s Will,” which is the typical way people frame the question. Yet, as I’ve spent more time thinking about it, I renamed it “Making Godly Decisions” because that’s really at the heart of what we want to do. We want to make decisions that please and honor God.
It Takes Practice
When diving into this topic, it’s important to understand that it takes a lot of practice. We don’t naturally make Godly decisions. Actually, as the Heidelberg Catechism states, “I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor” (Q&A 5). With that being our natural tendency, we definitely need to have our decision-making abilities trained by practice.
That’s what this passage in Hebrews is telling us. It says our “powers of discernment [are] trained by constant practice.” Just like any other skill in life, we will begin by doing it poorly. We will make poor decisions. Yet, after much practice in making decisions, we will begin to make better decisions. So, we need to be patient with ourselves (and those around us) as we learn how to make Godly decisions.
Don’t Be Paralyzed
For some of us perfectionistic types, the idea that we could possibly make a poor decision can paralyze us. We can refuse to make a decision because we are afraid of making the wrong one. It’s important for all of us to understand that we will HAVE TO make some bad decisions before we make good ones. We only learn how to make good decisions by learning from our bad decisions. So, rather than being paralyzed by fear, do your best to make the best decisions possible and then learn from your mistakes. If you never make a decision, you will never get better at making decisions. Just start and do the best you can with what you have to work with.
Good or Evil
At the core of all the decisions we make is the question, “Is this good or evil?” That’s what we’re being trained in—discerning good from evil. As we work toward making Godly decisions, we will always ask this question, just in different ways. This is the core question.
Unhelpful or Helpful
I realize this may not seem helpful to you at the moment. Maybe you’re wrestling with a decision about whether you should accept a job at Menards or at a factory. Here I am, telling you to ask, “Is it good or evil?” and you don’t find it very helpful. I understand.
However, as I work on providing you with a massive list of questions (I have 29 at the moment) to help you think through a decision like this, I have realized that every question comes down to this one: “Is it good or evil?” Ultimately, each question is asking whether your motives are good or evil, whether the results of this decision are good or evil, etc. Essentially, this is asking whether the decision is taking you closer to pleasing God or away from God’s pleasure. It it good or is it evil?
Stark Contrast
Some may question whether it’s helpful to put decisions in such stark contrast. Aren’t some decisions simply choosing between two good things? Yes, I definitely believe that is the case sometimes. Eventually, we will dive into those scenarios further.
However, I also believe it’s important for us to be clear when making decisions—not to beat around the bush and use euphemisms to make ourselves feel better. Sometimes we want to justify making a bad decision by saying that it’s “not that bad,” rather than admitting it is evil. So, at the beginning of the decision-making process we need to be really honest with ourselves and ask, “Is it good or evil?” and spend time prayerfully wrestling with these two categories. Don’t immediately assume that you are choosing between two good options.
Forcing ourselves to answer this question, forces us to be clear and honest at the beginning of the decision-making process. That’s a good way to start.