We all know what it feels like
when we have to make a tough decision.
UGH.
So much is at stake.
And being wrong
or handling it badly
will be a disaster.
We may try to avoid or postpone making a decision
that will deal with a difficult situation,
but eventually we will have to face it.
Do I stay in this relationship?
Do I challenge my father’s extremist political views?
Do I continue to bail out my close friend?
As tough as these decisions are,
at least they’re coming up within our own personal lives.
They aren’t huge decisions being forced upon us by the outside world.
Imagine what that would be like.
What if the world were closing in on you,
and you had to figure out how to save yourself and your family?
I often think about the people in Ukraine.
Until quite recently, they were just going about their day to day lives
the same as you and me.
The photograph of the two beautiful children (above)
was taken by a photographer in Kiev
before the Russian invasion.
Those children did not know what was coming.
Their parents may not have realized
what it meant
when Russian tanks began congregating along the borders.
Did their parents make a decision?
Did they act fast
and get them out?
I don’t know.
I pray that they did.
Denial
We are all subject to denial.
When we see signs of trouble coming toward us
our minds can shut it out.
We simply may not want to know
what is too painful for us to face.
We do not see
what we do not want to see.
Many, many Ukrainians were in denial
of the danger they were in
and thought there was no need to leave.
Until it was too late.
Not staying awake
and not looking to see
what is coming down the road
means we may miss our chance to act.
But what if we DO look down the road…
and we REALIZE we must act…
Can we decide what to do
and do it?
Let’s look at this together.
How can we make a bold good move when we need to?