Decision-making can be
both fun and frustrating. Some decisions are simple and inconsequential: what
to eat for breakfast; what shirt or dress to wear; what color to paint the
wall; what restaurant to select for an evening meal.
Other decisions carry
considerable weight: what college to attend and what to study; what career to
pursue; who to marry; how to manage your finances; how to budget your time;
which people to associate with; even what house to buy, and where to live.
So while some
decisions fall under the “I don’t care, you pick” category, others can truly
prove to be life-changing – for good or for not so good. So how do we go about deciding
on the more important choices in life? An insightful quotation I read recently
offers some helpful advice.
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| Even in all its grandeur, Disney's famed Cinderella's Castle rests on its foundation for stability. |
Almost everyone has
heard of Walt Disney, the creative visionary whose dreams turned into live and
animated movies, TV programming, music, and theme parks. But other members of
his family made important contributions to the success of the Disney brand. One
of them was the late Roy E. Disney, whose father, Roy O. Disney – Walt’s
brother – was co-founder of The Walt Disney Company.
The younger Roy spent
many years as a senior executive with the company. His quote in question: “When
your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” It’s a simple statement,
but quite profound nonetheless.
Values the Disneys embraced
through the years have guided them in developing such delightfully popular characters
and projects as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy; “Mary Poppins”; TV’s
Mickey Mouse Club, Disneyland and Walt Disney World; “Snow White”; “Toy Story,”
Nemo, and a seemingly endless list of other entertainment classics.
In a sense, those
values Roy Disney referred to served as the foundation for the Disney empire’s
achievements many of us have enjoyed. But this is true not only for all things
Disney, but also for any enterprise, whether a different kind of business or organization,
a family, or even individuals. Making major decisions without the guidance of
clearly established values typically leads to a murky result at best.
Jesus spoke about the
importance of a foundation – the right foundation. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it
did not fall, because it had the foundation of the rock” (Matthew 7:24-25).
He contrasted that
with “a foolish man who built his house
on the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:26-27).
The passage says many
who heard these words were amazed, since Jesus spoke with great authority, but
surely there were some who dismissed what He had to say. They had no interest
in doing what He said or following His teachings. Sadly – according to Jesus –
the values they were choosing instead were the equivalent of building sand castles.
I’ve learned – as have
many of my friends – that having clear values in fact does ease the
decision-making process, especially for challenging matters. Do we dabble in the
areas of temptation to which we know we’re susceptible? Do we pursue lofty
goals that could prove detrimental to cherished relationships? Do we spend more
than we can afford on things we want, resulting in becoming “servant to the lender,” as Proverbs
22:7 describes it? Do we devote time to unproductive diversions, at the expense
of more important commitments?
We don’t need to
become legalistic, placing a taboo on anything that hints at being fun. But as
my friend Oswald Chambers often states in his devotional writings, even good
things can be the enemy of things that are best for us.
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