We’ve talked before on this blog about the importance of making wise decisions: not emotionally charged, short-term decisions that we end up regretting, but making wise decisions. The kind of decisions that stand the test of time and are for the greater good.
Using the word wise is focusing. Asking the question, “What is the wise thing for me to do” is a fantastic clarifying question. It cuts through the clutter. It points to an ideal.
One of my favorite examples of a wise decision-maker is Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis. Joseph was born into privilege. He was his dad’s favored child and his brothers hated him. His brothers considered killing him and ultimately settled for selling him into slavery.
Joseph was falsely accused of a crime and ended up in jail. He was overlooked and forgotten. Through it all, he developed influence with those in jail with him and those in authority over him. What an amazing feat! Joseph ended up saving an entire nation and his own family. He grew from being an annoying little brother to being a wise leader.
- Joseph learned to manage up to those in authority over him by delivering amazing results.
- Joseph managed down to those under his authority by investing in relationships.
The thing that turned him into a wise leader who could do all this is that he learned to trust God unconditionally through all the dark times.
And you could see that trust lived out in his actions.
It reminds me of what Proverbs 16:3 says:
“Commit your actions to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.”
If we trust God every day and act in response to that trust, we will become the kind of person that makes wise decisions that God can use to change the world!