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"We waste so much nervous energy trying to make decisions."

A thought by Max Lucado from his book. Trade Your Cares for Calm (p. 45). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Do you find it very difficult to make a decision?  Do you have a problem decided if it is difficult for you to make a decision?  I hope you decide to see how Max continues this thought.

He says, “Rather than becoming overwhelmed and immobilized or hypervigilant and controlling, we can stress less when we remember three things.

He says the first one to remember is, “Gather the facts. How many planes actually fall out of the sky? How many bridges actually collapse? How many people die from the disease you dread? Examine the record. What are the odds that the thing you are worrying about will ever occur?”

The second one is, “Control what you can control. Once you know precisely the challenge that faces you, make a list of what you can do about it. Weather? You can’t control it. (But you can watch the forecast.) The economy? You can’t control it. (But you can keep a budget and live within your means.) Your boss’s opinion of you? You can’t control it. (But you can influence it by doing your work and not worrying about everyone else’s.)

And then the third one, “Don’t second-guess yourself. It does no good to do so. Make the best decision you can with the facts at hand, and live with it. Pray and take the next step.”

Three good things to remember: Gather the facts, Control what you can control, Don’t second-guess yourself.  Will you give these three facts a try the next time you need to make a decision?  Will you?


Yes, yes!
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