Last week’s blog was titled, “What Might Have Been?” Just by way of reminder, the gist of that blog was that as we look back over our lives we sometimes wonder what our lives might look like if we had made different choices. I concluded that particular blog by stating we would delve a little more deeply into this matter by looking at how to deal with those times in which we know that we made a bad decision, and we are now experiencing the results of that decision.

Let’s begin by stating the obvious: Life is filled with decisions. We make decisions by the day, multiple times during the course of a single day. Some of those decisions are relatively innocuous, like what we eat for breakfast, what outfit we wear, how we will spend our leisure time, etc. We make those decisions without giving them much thought, and without worrying if we made the right choice.

However, other decisions are not so simplistic. There are those times in life in which we are faced with life-altering decisions; decisions that will have long-term ramifications, oftentimes changing the entire course of life.

Admittedly, in our early years, most decisions are made for us. As children, our parents choose what meal will be on the table, what clothes we’ll wear on any given day, how we will spend our leisure time, etc. But then, as we grow older, those decisions will gradually be given over to us. We then begin to learn how to make decisions, weighing out the different options that are available to us with each choice we make.

We eventually get to the point when the choices in life are ours for the making. What career path will I follow? Where will I go to college? Or, is college even a viable option for me? Do I want to attend a large university, or a small community college? Or, do I think a two-year degree from a technical institute will serve me best? Who will I marry? Where will we live?

Well, that sampling is enough to show that we are faced with a plethora of choices covering a wide variety of options. Then, as we work our way through the decision-making process for each choice, we must ultimately decide which would be best.

Now, to the point.  We may look back on our life at some critical moment of self-evaluation and realize that we really did make the wrong choice. It might be the choice of a career path, a degree program, the college of choice, or the choice not to go to college, the choice to marry this person rather than that person, the choice to live in one city as opposed to another, etc. etc. We might give serious thought to the choices we have made, and realize that we truly did make, not only a poor choice, but absolutely the wrong choice.

So now we find ourselves at a crucial intersection of life. There are several options available to us.

First, we can choose to make the best of a bad decision. For example, I have seen individuals who feel early in life that a certain career path is right for them. So, they invest years of preparatory work to enter into this particular choice of a life vocation. However, after meeting all the prerequisites for the job, and even having worked on that job for a period of time, they come to realize that this is not a satisfying choice. They find it a great drudgery to go to work. They hate their job. But, they have spent years in preparation, and now have years of experience. Are they to just throw it all away? Walk away? Go in a different direction? Start over?

For some, it may be that they chose a certain career path because that is what one of their parents did. We see it happen all the time: a young boy decides to be a fireman because his father is a fireman; a young girl decides to be a nurse because her mother is a nurse. They see the joy these career choices have brought to their parent, and think it will do the same for them. So, they set their course, and find themselves in a career that isn’t bringing them the same fulfillment as it did for their parent. The reason is very simple: They have invested their lives in something they are not geared to do. In cases such as this, there is nothing wrong with moving in a different direction.

However, there is another option. We can choose to stay. We can choose to make the best of what we have. We can assess the situation, giving careful consideration to the many factors that led us to make this decision. We may discover that our present state of dissatisfaction with our current status is not because we made a bad decision, but because of present circumstances. We may find ourselves working with individuals who are extremely difficult. Our present sense of dissatisfaction has nothing to do with the job itself, but more to do with other factors. As a matter of fact, when we stop to think about it seriously, we come to realize that we are still very satisfied with the career path, but perhaps a change of positions or locations in the same field would resolve the issue.

But then, what about those instances in which we realize that we did make the wrong choice. There is really no question about it. I blew it! In those cases, perhaps it is best to find what we are best suited for, and begin the process to move in a different direction.

I realize that I have rambled on quite a bit, and I apologize. However, what I do hope that each of will understand is that bad decisions are not life-ending. What we need to do is the learn from the poor decisions of the past, and allow what we have learned to help guide us in making future decisions.

Let me sum it up with this statement: Failure is not fatal, nor is it final. We can start over. We can move beyond the bad decisions of the past, and enjoy a bright future. The best way to do that is to sincerely seek the guidance of God by turning to His Word, and to individual’s who have perhaps made poor decisions of their own, and have lived to tell their story.

Entrust your future to God, regardless of your past. He will gladly show you the way!