The problem is a common one…Continuous indecision.
Life on earth is life in the making. It involves constant choice and constant conflict. Conflict between the different facets of our nature that vie for allegiance. Conflict between the different causes that clamor for our support. Through the continuous making of resolute decisions, we pattern our lives and we order our character.
Continuous indecision is poisonous to the person. It robs is of energy and brings a paralysis of character and spirit.
The problem is so common two vastly different resources speak helpfully in response to it. “Mr. Facing Both Ways,” one of the unforgettable characters in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, speaks to this. Could that be our nickname? We too often want to face both ways. We continue to straddle the fence until we have nothing to offer or nothing to say because we can’t make up our minds, and we can’t make a commitment.
Some of you may think I’m moving “from the sublime to the ridiculous” when I mention the Beatles in the same conversation with Pilgrims Progress; but “give me some slack.” The Beatles phenomenon occupied center stage in our country for three decades. While some of you, myself included, may not have appreciated all their music, we have to admit that they had some rather scathing, and clear, social commentary. For example, one of their songs from the 60’s is a challenging commentary on the lifelessness of indecision.
He’s a real no-where man,
Sitting in a no-where land,
Making all his nowhere plans
For nobody
Does not have a point of view
Knows not what he wants to do
Isn’t he a bit like me and you?
Indecision is poisonous because our powers are scattered in a pointless existence. We have to make decisions. Living is choosing, and to choose wisely shapes the life for which we were created.