Indecision is a real problem in leadership, especially churches. But failing to confront issues has led to the death of many successful initiatives. History is replete with many examples of how indecision shipwrecked institutions: the sinking of Titanic, Lehman brothers and even the global financial crisis. Leaders want to be popular and hope business can go on as usual. They fail to decide and then pay the price.
I remember one time I had a nasty boil on my body (like a cyst). For two days I could hardly sleep. Usually such boils come and go but this stubborn one was refusing to go. I went to visit the doctor who advised that I should immediately go for surgery. Never in my life had I been told that a boil required surgery. After consulting my family, I decided to ask the doctor for pain killers and antibiotic and postponed the surgery. However it just got worse and worse. In the end I had to have the surgery anyway, but it cost more and took me longer to recover.
In Malawi we have a proverb that tells the story of a dog sitting on a warm verandah. He hears the sound of a lion roaring in the distance, but it is so comfortable in the sunshine…. So he stays put. He keeps hearing the roars get closer and closer, until it is too late to move.
What decisions have you been postponing?
