“Thank God I hit pause and sorted through the story’s possible endings.”

A thought by Craig Groeschel from his book, Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life (p. 55). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

But that isn’t always the case, is it?

Craig continues, “But there were plenty of times when I didn’t, when I spoke without thinking first or acted on impulse or reacted without weighing the consequences. I can’t tell you how many times I found myself reaping what I sowed, dealing with the consequences of yet another bad decision. ‘If only I could go back and do it over! I wish I hadn’t done that.’”

He says, “One of the best decisions we can make when feeling an impulse or facing a high-stakes dilemma is simply to stop. Take a time-out. Hit pause. Sleep on it. Think it over. Get some godly wisdom from people you trust.

“During this interval, visualize what’s likely to happen with each of your options.… I try to picture the likely consequences of my options. I take stock of where I am and where I want to go, and then move toward my destination. Even if it seems like I’m moving in baby steps, as long as it’s in the right direction, I know I’m getting closer to my goal.”

He then says, “Most of us have good intentions or at least some kind of justification for the things we do. And yet so many of us seem surprised when we find ourselves a long way from our destination… The big changes in our lives—both negative and positive—rarely happen without a series of decisions dominoing one into another.”

He goes on, “Don’t let the simplicity of this little habit of stopping to visualize the likely outcomes fool you; it can help you connect the dots between where you are and where you want to be. You already know where you are (or if you don’t, that’s another good reason to stop: so you can figure it out), so now you simply visualize where you want to go. Then each time you’re presented with a choice, consider the potential outcomes of each possible decision. Which one of them will best move you in the direction of where you want to end up? Which one will lead you closer to God? Treat each choice like it’s the next stepping-stone toward your destination. Ask yourself:

1. If I go down this road, what story will I end up telling?

2. Is that what I want my story to be?”

Craig finishes this section by saying, “Your decisions today, both big and small, determine the direction your life will take tomorrow.”

So, when was the last time you hit the pause button?