1 QUOTE

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

- Isaiah 30:21

1 NOTE

You can read the introduction to the Sample Leadership series here.

It has been written, “Every person (and I add family) is one big decision away from an entirely different life.” There are pick-a-path moments in our lives that determine our future. When we reach those proverbial forks in the road, do you have a clear process to gather information, draw wisdom from community wisdom and confidently know God’s will on the decision? Steven Sample encourages us to ‘Think gray and free’ before we make the decision.

Thinking gray is the discipline to not form a strong opinion on important matters until all facts have been gathered. I recently served on jury duty in my home city of Long Beach. This is the heart of our legal system: think gray until you have processed all of the information. Unfortunately, many are prone to simply believing the last thing they have heard from their most recent interaction.

Practically, thinking gray is always connected to two components: core values and calendar. As we think gray we must always be anchored by the truth God has revealed. All big decisions should be confirmed by God’s Word and Spirit. Secondly, we must know the deadline for the decision. We should refrain from establishing ‘internal deadlines’ for the biggest decisions. As a pastor, when someone comes to me with a big decision I always start by asking the same two questions: (1) “What is the decision deadline?” (2) “Is the deadline self-imposed?” Why make a decision Friday when decision-changing information might arrive Sunday?

Thinking gray benefits us by giving us time to gather all relevant information on a matter. Thinking gray nurtures creativity and imagination.Thinking gray puts artificial deadlines in their rightful place.  Thinking gray helps us consider outrageous options that might solve the issue. Thinking gray protects us from making a bad decision that might take years to recover. Think gray!

1 QUESTION

Do you have a big life decision approaching? What would it look like for you to think gray on the matter?

Until Next Tuesday,

John