“I just can’t make up my mind!” How often have you said those words or heard someone else say them to you? Difficult decisions can be small or large. It may involve picking an entrée from a restaurant menu, choosing a blouse or shirt from a store sales rack, or selecting two flavors for a double-dip ice cream cone. Or it may involve decisions about buying a new house, making the move to a new job, or saying “yes” to a marriage proposal. Some people are good at making quick decisions, even though their impetuousness may cause problems down the road. Others take forever to make up their mind, which means their over-cautiousness may result in missed opportunities.
If we have learned anything from the past two years of “Covid-reality,” there is no perfect formula for making decisions. Sometimes you decide based on the best information available; other times you go with your “gut instincts.” Researchers have documented that most people think they are using rational information to make up their minds, but that is not usually the case. Most people use some version of what is called “moral judgment.” Moral judgments arise when we trust our emotions more than our brains. We consider a situation, not so much in terms of what is true or false, but rather in terms of what is good or bad, just or unjust. And usually we go a step further and ask, “Is it good or bad for me? Is it just or unjust for me?” Once we answer those questions, then our brains kick in and provide rationales for our decision. We decide in our guts and then use our brains to rationalize the decision.
We have seen this played out in the national debate about vaccinations against Covid, as well as in discussions around other controversial topics. We tell ourselves that if people simply hear the evidence, they will be convinced and get their shots. But disagreements around vaccines or gun control or climate change or critical race theory are seldom resolved by rational debate. They are emotional issues that cannot be “reasoned” away.
Fortunately, we have another resource available to us. Into the tension between emotional and rational approaches to decision-making, we are called to include a spiritual perspective. In the debate between what our head says and what our gut feels, we should include our heart and soul. In making any big decision, we should seek guidance from our faith, from scripture and the example of Christ. Instead of only asking “What is right?” or “What is right for me?” we should also ask “What is right according to God’s plan and desires for the world?” Invariably, the spiritual approach slows down our decision-making, calls us to quiet reflection and prayer, and opens us up to options beyond what is right before our eyes. It can be humbling (“This decision is not just about me.”) as well as affirming (“God loves me and wants what is best for me and others.”).
As we move past the two-year anniversary of the pandemic and move into another season of Lent, look at how you make your decisions. Let your spirit join the conversation between your gut and your brain, and with prayer and thanksgiving, may your every decision going forward be faithful and true.
—Randy Bush