The demands of life, be they family, job, relationships, health, whatever – can at times overwhelm us, often making us feel inept, impotent, unprepared, unimportant and out of our league. It is hard to feel we can achieve success in any area. Can we control our own decisions at all times? You may want to read “What to Do When You don’t Know What to Do” for more help on this subject.
Please watch the Great News Video on this page to find out how much God loves you and offers you hope and salvation.
We feel caught in a whirlwind of obligations, relational pressures, and a myriad of obligations and expectations, none of which we feel comfortable or competent in handling. In that confused state of mind, we may think we have no choices, no hope of making right decisions, only the feeling of being a pawn, powerless to do anything on our own behalf.
However, even in that type of situation, there are decisions you can still control. Can we control our own decisions?
Do We Have Control Over Decisions?
10 Ways to make Great Decisions
1. Choose your Way
Either take the High Road or the Low Road – we may have circumstances that knock the floor out from under us. Drawing on our integrity and wisdom gleaned from lesser challenges in the past, we can choose not to take the short cuts, to avoid engaging in compromise, but rather choose to take the high road in our ethical behavior, holding fast to the principles and commitments that have enhanced our life and the building of character heretofore.
Our future self-worth, as well as our public esteem, rests on this firm foundation.
2. Be dependable or questionable
Can we control our own decisions at all times? From infancy, a child senses who is a dependable care giver, who will always be there for him, who is filled with truth, who will always catch him when he jumps. Even in the bad times, through honesty and integrity, we must keep our commitments, be open and honest, and learn to acknowledge our needs to someone we trust.
From this perspective, recovery can only be accompanied by even more strength of character. A win-win.
3. Control diet, exercise, reactions, responses.
When even small things knock us down, the first thing we are tempted to do is to neglect self-care. Making it an obligation to ourselves, we need to tend to a healthful environment, including diet and exercise, to get us through this tough transitional time. Practicing being slow to anger, pausing before answering, guarding that with whom we share – all of these are in our control. No one can do this for us.
4. Walk with God or ignore Him
As Peter writes in 5:7: “casting all of our cares upon God, because He cares for us” would be well used as our first step toward dealing with a seemingly out of control problem or a deep loss or challenge of any type. Accepting the spiritual guidance from God Himself through earnest prayer will be the source of our inner strength and give us the ability to make wise decisions, even in a tumultuous and seemingly self-impotent situation. Can we control our own decisions at all times?
God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. If ever we have needed God, it is now – no matter the situation with which we find ourselves. Seek him – your burden, your life, will be enlightened and your cares and your worries, will be lessened when shared with Jesus who loves you and is able.
5. Renew/recharge or be a downer
With the help of the eternal and omnipotent God who loves us as individuals, we begin to feel the energy of being recharged and renewed. We need to reach out for help – to counselors, friends, organizations – and gratefully receive the help that returns us to being a productive and healthy member of the community.
Denying ourselves the pleasure of wallowing in self-pity and being a downer for others, let us accept the help of others, draw upon the inner power of the Holy Spirit, and join the active community as part of the positive, encouraging, loving, and helpful force that binds us all together.
6. Help someone or shun the needy
When troubles seem to be overwhelming, our last thought may be how we can help someone else. However, having just been reminded of our lack of strength, wisdom, and resources, we may be just the help someone else needs at that time – understanding that we know what it is to be needy, whether, financially, physically or emotionally.
Can we control our own decisions at all times? Our choice of choosing to be open to helping others will give us a more balanced outlook, asserting our worth as an individual.
7. Renew/recharge or be a downer
With the help of the eternal and omnipotent God who loves us as an individual, we begin to feel the energy of being recharged and renewed.
We need to reach out for help – to counselors, friends, organizations – and gratefully receive the assistance that returns us to being a productive and healthy member of the community.
Denying ourselves the pleasure of wallowing in self-pity and being a downer allows us to accept help from others, and from the inner power of the Holy Spirit. We rejoin the active community as part of the positive, encouraging, loving, and helpful force that binds us together.
8. Cite by rote all you do not have – or count your blessings!
A grateful heart is a happy heart. By God’s grace, we all have received so many blessings. We begin to take them for granted. When we actually make a list of our blessings and thank God for them one by one, we realize more clearly what we have and what we actually have need of.
An ungrateful person is the most difficult and downer of people. You have the choice – count your blessings. And move forward by the impetus that provides for you. Acknowledge all gifts and all help offered.
Your more cheery demeanor will be found not only more attractive, but there is a contagion that will be shared with those you know or those with whom you just casually interact. We all need a shared smile, a door opened, a wave of the hand along the way.
9. Slump and sigh – or hold your head high with a joyful countenance.
It is amazing how the way we carry ourselves can make bold statements. Statements of enthusiasm, attractiveness, and a can-do spirit are contagious. In the privacy of our home, we seek and cry out to God, acknowledging our weakness.
Then we claim the promise of self-worth and the promise of God’s presence as we re-enter our world. “This is the Day that the Lord has made – Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118 -24.
10. Practice self-control or bounce off the wall reactionarily
Therefore, when we feel our life is in upheaval and as we seek to control how we react and how to proceed, let us practice being slow to anger, carefully guarding our words, and perhaps spending time with a friend or a counsellor to help with control of your reactions. Wild and ill-spoken remarks are detrimental to our future opportunities.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer’.: Psalm 19:14.
The psalmist knew how difficult it is to control our tongues and that we cannot retract our spoken words. A careless word spoken can do much harm.
Life throws us some difficult and hurtful situations.
It is how we respond to these traumatic happenings that enables us to regain joy in life – perhaps not as we knew it – but a life with purpose and love and great relationships. The new norm requires adjustments.
Giving oneself some time, accepting help from friends and family, and trusting in Jesus Christ, the eternal and living God, can make the new norm rich, filled with depth and meaning – and surely resplendent with peaceful joy.
Watch the video Great News on this page – you can find assurance regarding your relationship with God. Wherever you are in life, the most important thing is settling your relationship with the God of Grace and Glory who loves you and has paid the price for all of our sin.
