Don’t Jump

Inspired of God, Written by Sheryl D Miller

Proverbs 19:2 Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.

I would like to focus in on the second part of this proverb – about haste making mistakes.  Let’s see just what haste means: swiftness; rapidity; eagerness or necessity to move swiftly; urgency; careless or headlong hurrying.

In the past, I have been very guilty of being hasty! I am getting better at sleeping on things, rather than jumping on them. I have made some horrible mistakes in my life because of my impatience and impulsiveness.

One of my best friends and golfing partners is Jo Ann. Jo Ann and I laugh about how long it takes her to purchase anything because she has to mull it over for days or weeks or even months. But you know - I don’t see her making to many mistakes on her decisions. She actually has great wisdom when it comes to decisions because she isn’t hasty.

I am learning that when I sleep on something, I sometimes find out that I really can live without it. I had often made my decisions without consulting God, and paid the price. I have spent thousands of dollars needlessly on stuff that I don’t even have anymore.

Sometimes when I need to make a decision to do something, I don’t. God will lay something on my heart to do, and I either don’t think it’s a good thing (like I know what I’m doing; go figure), or I don’t have the courage to do it; and I have paid the price for these things in the past, as well. The price we pay for these things is usually emotional or physical; sometimes it can be monetary, but I have found that it is usually one of the first two.

My new game plan for decision making is this – I consult God first. Now, I don’t consult God on everything – I believe He gave us wisdom and common sense to dress ourselves or to choose what to eat; not that He won’t tell us what to do in these areas of our lives (He has a whole dietary plan laid out for us in Deuteronomy 14:3-21). I wait for His answer. If I have peace about moving ahead, I do, and if I don’t have peace, I forget about what I wanted to do.

So, before we jump, we need to make sure the bungee cord is attached at the other end, and if it isn’t – don’t jump!

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.”

Image by: Andrew Skudder