“What would you think about buying an RV and traveling around the country?”

Wait, what did you just say??

“When we retire, what would you think about the idea of buying an RV and traveling around the country?”

Squinting my eyes, I looked at her suspiciously, “Who are you and what have you done with my wife?”

A Crazy Decision and a Lot of Research

That surprising conversation about three years ago led Sandy and I to make many choices and decisions over the next 12-14 months. First was, ‘Wait just a minute. Are you serious?’ Once assured, I was off and running making a list of all the decisions we had to make. What kind of RV? Can we afford this? What about the kids and grands? And do we sell or rent out the house? Those were a few of the bigger decisions we had to research, pray about, and decide. Of lesser importance were, what do we do about internet? And mail? And how do we ensure we always have good, filtered water? Decisions and choices aplenty.

Life is full of decisions. As a matter of fact, we might say that from one point of view, life is made up of the choices we make, the attitudes we hold, and the effort we expend upon the work in front of us.

Yes, there are plenty of big and little decisions to be made in life. My purpose today is not to talk about how to make good decisions, although we’d all do well to consider that. Nor is it to try to convince you that there are particular choices we all have to make that will have an eternal impact on our lives, although that is true. No, in these few moments I would simply like to encourage us to recognize that life’s decision-points are important and worthy of our intentional, thoughtful consideration.

Remember Mr. Hawthorne Cranberry?

You may recall that in last week’s post, my new friend Hawthorne Cranberry was facing an important life decision and chose to ‘wait until tomorrow’. Delaying a decision is in fact making a decision. Equally unwise is to just go with the crowd or to yield to the pressure you feel. Perhaps that is indeed the best direction, but be sure YOU consider and decide. Intentional decision making is best.

There are two wonderful illustrations from literature that I love when it comes to decisions. I’ve included the first in the picture for this post. Written by CS Lewis in ‘The Magician’s Nephew’, Digory and Polly found this verse written on a short pillar in the midst of an enchanted room. Given the challenge, Digory felt he could not tolerate living the rest of his life without finding out ‘what would have followed.’ Life can change directions with a single choice. Decisions are important.

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost offers a beautiful look the impact of our decisions.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Perhaps you’re approaching retirement, or in the midst of a rocky marriage, or struggling to make ends meet. Maybe life is currently going well and you have multiple opportunities from which to choose. Should you take a risk and strike the bell? Or perhaps take the road less traveled by? Or maybe you have some crazy idea about selling everything you own so you can buy an RV?

However you make your decisions, YOU make your decisions. Be intentional about the choices that will shape your life.

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