3 Steps to avoiding costly mistakes

I recently made a decision that cost me dearly.  I had a distinct ‘feeling’ that I should not make the choice I did but I allowed circumstances, people and need to override my instinct.  And it cost me dearly … relationally, emotionally, financially, time wise.  After kicking myself in the butt for a few days and subjecting myself to the “if onlys”, I blocked out some time and took the situation to God in prayer.  Here are three thoughts I emerged with.  Maybe they will help you avoid the trap from which I had to extract myself.

• Choose to trust the still, small Voice.  God leads us supernaturally but the supernatural is not necessarily the spectacular.  We don’t need lightening bolts and fingers writing in the sky.  We just need to recognize and trust His voice which, most of the time, comes gently and softly.
• Choose to trust yourself.  Our life experiences help us in the decision making process.  In particular, we gain knowledge in our field of expertise that becomes instinctive and intuitive.  We don’t always know why we know something, we just know that we know.  We need to trust this ‘knowing’.
• Choose to trust the process. Stressful circumstances or pressing need makes us want to solve the problem quickly to relieve the pressure we feel.  Hasty solutions are not necessarily the answer.  We need to learn to trust the process.  Often times the right solution unfolds over time and becomes clear and evident.

After my time of prayer over the situation I had inadvertently created, I committed to:

• Forgive myself for making a poor choice.
• Forgive the person who let me down.
• Learn from my mistake.
• Let go and move on.

“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you…” - Proverbs 2:10-11