Choosing Between What You Want To Do and What You Ought To Do

If You Want To Make A Quality Decision, You Must Determine The Weight Or Value You Will Give To Between The Objects You Are Choosing

 

Choosing Between What You Want To Do
and What You Ought To Do

by Olga Hermans

You are very special to God and He gave you the freedom of choice. So, since God created you and me to make decisions, then we can be sure that He has also given us the proper way to make those decisions.

The gift of free will is one thing that characterizes God as a Father. He gives us His guidelines for life in His Word and then allows us to make our own choices. We have the power to choose a life of blessings or curses. Our future is are completely in our hands.

God can’t and won’t make us do anything, and the devil certainly can’t force us into anything we don’t willingly agree to. For this reason, the responsibility for the direction of our lives is in our hands.

Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to make a choice to do something, but knew deep down in your heart you should be doing the other thing. What do you do in a situation like that? How do you know which choice to make and know that, that is the best choice?

Let’s picture the scales in an old grocery store that were used to weigh out how many ounces of candy were in a bag or something. Both of the scales have a balance point in the center. If the objects on both sides are the same weight, then the sides will balance. If one side is heavier, then that side will go down and the other side will go up. A seesaw on a playground would give the same picture.

If you want to make a quality decision, you must determine the weight or value you will give to those objects you are choosing. Only after doing that,  can you  decide between the choices. Only then, can you say no and choose between the different options that you have, right? You are giving weight or value to the things on the scale. This is a very important step to making a quality decision.

Many times people make important decisions without judging the options, without weighing the positives and negatives, without determining what that decision will mean to them in the long run.

This is process that goes on all the time even when we might not be aware of it. Let’s have a look at this example of a woman buying a pair of shoes. Her decision to purchase a particular pair of shoes will be determined by what is important to her. It depends on the situation; some determining factors might be color, comfort and style. She might be looking for a color to wear with a particular outfit that she already has.

If she finds shoes in the correct color, she may buy them even if the fit bothers her a little. On the other hand, she may be looking for high heels for a formal occasion. She might try on a pair of shoes that are very comfortable but have low heels.

No matter how comfortable they may be, she will tell the clerk, “No, that’s not what I want.” Even in this ordinary, routine action, she will think the situation through and outweigh one or the other.

It is not difficult to make a decision if one choice greatly outweighs the other. Sometimes though, each of the choices has great value and you have to choose between them.

God told Moses in Ex.3:10 to go to Pharaoh and bring the people of Israel out of Egypt. Moses valued the situation which meant that he honored the situation. He put the choices that he had to make in the balance. His desire to obey God was much greater than the treasure he had in Egypt.

Just because you know what you should do, does not make it easy. And certainly this was not a simple decision for Moses to make. As “The Son of Pharao’s Daughter,” Moses held a position of great wealth. He was in the royal line and entitled to an inheritance. Probably he would become king himself some day.

Have you ever had to consider giving something up – something you knew you should give up – then you began to think about how much you liked that thing, or how hard you had worked for it or how long it had taken you to get in that position?

Has God ever given you a dream that has caused you to be so excited that you were not able to sleep at night? Then, as time passed without the dream becoming a reality, you may have lost your enthusiasm in pursuing that dream. Perhaps you even questioned whether it was from God in the first place.

Many times our dreams do not become reality because of the decisions we make in our lives. Your course in life depends on the decisions you make. Don’t let your God-given dreams fade away. It is time to dust off your unfilled dreams and go for it!!

Today is a great day to start to weigh your choices and to determine to make quality decisions.

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Comments

  1. Olga, you and I may express our faith differently. But your messages are always spot on … and thought provoking!
    Sharon O’Day recently posted..Mamas- Don’t Let Your Daughters Grow Up to Be CluelessMy Profile

  2. Robert Hendrixs says

    Balancing out our choices; that is a great way of putting it. Never thought about it that way…thanks for putting your insight on paper for us to read!!
    Robert

  3. Olga, thanks for a thought provoking post. I have to remind myself sometimes that these decisions can be so hard because the ARE so close together in value. You’re right, if they weren’t, the decision would be easy. You have successfully replaced the picture of this issue that I had in my mind and helped me to rest easier and give myself more grace, just as God gives us SO much grace!
    Robert Seth recently posted..How to Repair a CD or DVD for Under Ten CentsMy Profile

  4. Beau Henderson says

    I love the blog. Even choosing to not make a choice is a choice.

  5. Thanks! I am going to make the decision to make my dreams a reality!

  6. Thank you Olga for that, it is very provoking to think how we can over analyze our decisions to death, I don’t like the analysis paralysis paradigm, in this article you wrote, provoked me to remember that about others… thanks!
    Paul Crowson recently posted..Is There A Cyberbullying Perfect Storm Brewing In Your Kid’s SchoolMy Profile

  7. Thanks for the inspiring post Olga. Wishing you a beautiful day!

  8. This is exactly what I needed today. It is so easy to put your life on autopilot and not think about the daily decision that are affecting our future. Thank you for reminding me to think about what and how I live my life.

  9. We do all have free will to make choices. Dealing with the consequences of our decisions is an area most of us could learn to deal with a little more realistically. Over the years I’ve made many mistakes in my life, business and finances. Thank goodness for good friends, family and the free will to change our direction, decisions and our life, too.
    Carla J Gardiner recently posted..Merle Haggard’s Truck Drivers Blues On The Transistor RadioMy Profile

  10. This is absolutely awesome Olga! I am frequently asked how I would describe my approach to parenting and in short it is exactly the mindset you have so brilliantly shared in this article…personal responsibility begins in childhood by learning about our power to CHOOSE! Once a child understands his role in his life, everything falls into place… And the best thing parents can do is to help their child visit the options and consequences of each potential choice and decision. Thank you Olga for sharing this! Well Done!
    denny hagel recently posted..The Parenting NotesA Mother’s LegacyMy Profile

  11. Carol Douthitt says

    It’s our choices that continue to shape our lives – Want a different life, make a different choice. Great post!

  12. Victoria says

    Ah, decisions, decisions. It really is an art, isn’t it? To know in your heart what ‘the right thing’ is is such a gift. Thanks for bringing this to us to ponder…

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