By Brenda Cannon Henley
I find the older I get, the more time and consideration I put into even the smallest decisions. I tend to evaluate the choices I have to make, the amount of time and energy involved in each, the cost, and perhaps most important of all, the overall outcome of my choice. Is it God’s perfect will in my life? Does it stand with Scripture or is it in opposition to the Word of God? How will it affect others that I love? Is it the best timing for whatever I am choosing? Do I have peace in my heart about the matter? Have I sought counsel from someone I trust and from one whom I believe to be wise in the things of God?

I can remember when I was much younger and had not learned many of life’s important principles. I am sure I made immature, snap judgments. I know I did not take time to evaluate matters as carefully as I would now. And, I am certain I paid prices for those rash judgments.

Having always been a busy, take charge kind of person and having a deep desire to help make things right for everyone involved drove me to the brink of the valley of too quick decision making. Not taking time to pray about a matter thoroughly or simply waiting to see if things changed caused unnecessary problems and often hurt feelings.

Now in my eighth decade of life, I find myself weighing matters more slowly, and certainly more deeply. It seems that even little decisions tax me more. What dress or shoes to wear in the morning when leaving for work or a meeting takes longer to choose. Major decisions such as buying a new vehicle, selling a piece of property, spending any large sum of money feel as they weigh me down more quickly. I began to wonder whether or not this was normal reflections or something I was mustering up from many years of research and writing.

And so, I dug into the subject and found most scholars do not believe that age is to be blamed for much of the difficulty in delayed decision making.

One professor wrote that slowness to make decisions can be caused by many factors other than age. It can be precipitated by fear of failure or lack of confidence about the situation. It can come from lack of good information.

A warning was included in several of the articles I read stating indecisiveness can be caused by serious amounts of stress, post traumatic stress disorder, not getting enough physical rest, and the beginnings of mental illness.

If you feel your decision making skills are being challenged more than normal, seek help. Talk to someone you trust, visit with a medical person, or a pastor or counselor. Perhaps many of us have just lived long enough to realize that we don’t want our poor decisions to harm the rest of our lives or the lives of those we love.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at 409 781 8788, or
[email protected]

[BCH: Nov-7-2023]