Little Decisions

"Little Decisions"

May 2, 2009

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance. Proverbs 1:5

Little decisions can have some far reaching consequences.

That's what happened years ago when there was an epidemic of Malaria in Borneo. Health officers sprayed the area with DDT to kill the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes did die, but the insecticide partially paralyzed flies who became easy pray for insect-eating lizards.

When the lizards ate the insecticide-laden flies, they too became sick and slowed down. Because the lizards were moving slower, they were eaten by the cats, which soon died.

With no cats, the rat population flourished and a plague threatened the people. Things eventually got so bad they actually had to parachute cats into Borneo.

The little decision to spray for mosquitoes had some far reaching consequences.

Each day, each of us makes a multitude of little decisions. Like a stone thrown into a pond, the ripples of our choices can extend far further than we might think possible.

Naturally, as Christians, we want to minimize the bad and maximize the good. To that end, I would like to make a suggestion. I encourage you to spend some time thinking through your decisions, even the small ones, before you make them. As you do, be sure to spend some time with the Lord in prayer. Ask Him for His guidance, search the Scriptures for His direction.

If we do that, I'm pretty sure our lives and those around us will be filled with a little more gladness and a lot less regret.


From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"



THE PRAYER: : Dear Lord, please give me Your guidance as I make decisions in my life, even the little ones. I ask this so Jesus might be glorified and my life will be lived in harmony with Your will. In Your Name. Amen.