The Decision Has Already Been Made

Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don’t think about it, I just do it. The decision has already been made.” ~Patti Sue Plumer, US Olympian

I got up and ran this morning.  I am not a “runner”— running is not the center of my existence.  In fact, most days I don’t even like it.  But I know I need the exercise; I know that running is good for this body that God has given me.

That’s where the above quote comes in.  If I had thought about it, if I had turned over in my mind whether or not I should run this morning, there’s a pretty fair chance that my lazy butt could have come up with a lame excuse for not running.  But the decision had already been made.  I was running.  And I didn’t give myself the opportunity to “think it over” and back out.

This principle can apply to more than running.  At any decision point, I have a choice to do less than what I know to be God’s best, God’s will.  (That’s ”temptation” and “sin” for you theologically minded folks)

In my humanness, if I give my mind a chance, it is going to try to talk me out of God’s best for my life.  But I can say “the decision has already been made”— I am going to follow Christ.

If you look back, this is where Eve messed up:

The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?” The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”

The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”

When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. (Genes 3:1-6 The Message Bible paraphrase)

Did you catch it?  She started wondering, thinking, questioning, “What if?…..” when she could have just said, “The decision has already been made.  I will follow God’s instructions.”

Where in your life do you need to put a resolution about what is right in concrete?  Go ahead and make your choice to follow God in that area now, so when confronted with the opportunity to compromise you can firmly say “The decision has already been made.”