Think. Speak. Act.

"How would you react...if you won the lottery?"


"How would you react...if you lost your job?"


"How would you react...if a new position opened up at work and you and your best friend were both interested in applying?"


I was sitting oh-so-innocently in my Toastmasters' club meeting yesterday when the last question was asked of me. It was part of our weekly "Table Topics" exercise where we are asked a question and told to speak "off the cuff" for at least a minute without ums, ahs and filler words.


It's tougher than you think. But what stood out to me yesterday was the "How would you react...?" theme.


You and I may not ever win the lottery, lose our jobs or compete with a friend for a new position. But everyday, I think someone (even if it's solely God) asks us, "How would you react...?" in some form or another.


I thought about that basic question a lot yesterday--especially when we were talking about politics at young adults' group.


When I thought about living as a Christian in a way that honors God, I came up with three key steps to decision-making. I don't always follow them, but I hope this post (or even the process of writing it!) will help you and I as we make key choices in our lives. So here goes:


Think.


This seems simple. But how many times do we make decisions by "going with the flow" with what friends, co-workers or family members do? How easily do we buy in to someone else's logic--whether it's a teacher, pastor, professor or newscaster--without digging for the truth ourselves?


God gave us brains. I think He likes--and even expects--us to use them. He is the source of truth, so when we search for real truth, we are actually pursuing God, getting to know Him and His thoughts better. I think He absolutely loves it when we have a passion to know more (just as long as we always recognize we can never know it all!).


What does this mean in real life? Knowing what the Bible says. Looking for hard facts uncluttered by someone else's perspective (and those can be tough to find--even in the news!). Owning my personal responsibility to continually pursue wisdom. For me, one of the key messages of Anthem last night was, "Know what you believe and why. Look at the facts about the candidates (like their voting records). Look at the Bible for what it says, not just what you want to hear (see my past "Google faith" post for reference)." I love that.


Speak.


Part of decision-making does involve speaking with others. First, it should involve talking to God--praying and asking for wisdom and clarity throughout the whole decision-making process. But I think it also can involve seeking the counsel of people you trust.


That may sound contradictory to my first point. But there's a big difference between aimlessly following the herd and truly having your own opinion while remaining open to hear what other trusted people in your life have to say.


Sometimes speaking means standing up for what you believe in. Having the courage to talk about tough things in a kind way. Sharing what you believe or feel with people who might reject you.

Act.

Knowing what you think or talking about it is good--but incomplete. I believe our actions are a critical part of the equation, but action is often left out of decision making.

For example, there are a lot of Christians who believe in helping those in need. They think it's right. They talk about how important it is. But when given the opportunity to actually volunteer and serve people in the community, they don't show up. They don't give financially to their own churches or non-profit organizations that serve the poor. (And as a sidenote, it's not a big surprise to me that politicians can be hypocritical in this area, too.)

I'll be honest in the fact that I'm not a huge fan of political grandstanding--I have close friends on both sides of the political spectrum. I've found myself irritated in this election season with how some people go on and on bashing politicians on "the other side."

And then I did a quick heart check.

Because as much as I don't like heated debates, at least I have friends who are passionate about what they believe. They're going to vote. They're going to talk to other people about voting. They're going to help other people register to vote. They're going to campaign for people they believe in.

There is something much worse--apathy. In this country, we have freedom. It's a rare privilege. In so many places around the world, people don't have a voice (especially if you're a woman, a Christian or a minority). Thousands of people throughout history have given their lives so that you and I can live in this freedom--so we can vote.

And millions of us act like we don't care. Millions of Americans don't vote.

Connecting the dots...

I hope if you're reading this, you don't think it's just about politics, Christianity or a strange group called Toastmasters (and if you're wondering - no, we don't cook toast in our meetings). :)

For me, this post is about decisions--and decisions define our destinies.

Are Christians Afraid to Think?

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a group where two people were discussing a story shared by a guest speaker at their church.

One questioned the example, "That doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't sound like anything I've heard or read before."

"It's totally true," her friend replied.

"Aww...do you believe everything you hear?" the other said with a teasing tone.

"If it comes from the pulpit, I do." End of discussion.

Something about this conversation bothered me. It was just a casual "debate" between two friends. It wasn't dealing with a major issue of faith. I don't think either of the people involved in the discussion were that serious about their positions. But the logic of, "I just believe whatever I hear from the pulpit" or, taken further, "It's not right to ask questions about anything I'm told at church" didn't sit right with me.

As much as I wish it were true, there's nothing inherently sacred about a pulpit, platform or political office. Great pastors like Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about dreams from a pulpit ... but so did pastors who were white supremacists. Great politicians like Abraham Lincoln encouraged a country to unify ... but so did Hitler. And all of these speakers--from the great to the horrific--had Christians following them.

Don't get me wrong--99.9% of the time, I completely agree with my pastors and leaders--and trust them as much as I trust my family and very close friends.

"Please (don't!) check your brain at the door ... "

But I think God wants Christians to be more than robots. When we get saved, no one says, "Welcome to church. Please check your brain at the door and take a seat in one the cozy chairs. Just chill, sit still and absorb whatever your pastor/leader/teacher tells you."


We shouldn't be afraid to ask questions--it actually helps us grow and can make our beliefs stronger. Asking questions doesn't mean we're stupid. It doesn't mean that we need to constantly change our core beliefs. And it definitely doesn't mean that should disrespect our leaders. The best students, the most innovative leaders and the best listeners are all good at asking questions. Asking questions simply means that you have a desire to learn--to get to know God, His Word and even your own beliefs--better.

It's one thing to say, "I believe X because my pastor/leader/mom/a televangelist said so." But people who change the world don't just believe something because someone else told them to--they know what they believe.

Even more important, if a non-Christian (or even a new Christian) asks you something about your faith, saying "I believe X because my pastor said so" probably won't sit well with them.

What does this kind of questioning look like?


It means not sitting passively in the grandstands, but being engaged with what you're hearing or reading. It's about approaching life (especially the Bible and Christian messages) with a desire to learn. The kind of thinking I'm talking about doesn't mean being critical or looking for fault.


For example, when I first started working at an investment firm, sometimes I would attend meetings where people talked about concepts or even used words I didn't understand at all. It felt like I was dropped on a different planet where everyone else seemed to speak the same language, but I could only pick up the basics ... kind of like a foreign language camp (not that I ever went to one of those!).

So I started asking questions ... mostly in notes to myself. When I was in meetings and stuff came up that I didn't understand, I'd write down things like, "Look up 'alpha' ", "Ask Jane to explain mutual fund share classes" or "I don't understand why XYZ business unit does something differently. Find out more--and see if we may want to think about adopting their approach."

I think I take a similar approach to taking notes in church--not just writing down the points of the speaker, but sometimes adding my own questions and notes, "I don't understand X. Look up more about it." or "This is a cool verse! What else does the Bible have to say about this topic?" or "This Bible character seems interesting. What else does the Bible say about him? Are there other Bible characters that had a similar experience?"

Keys to keep in mind when you're questioning

• Ask how the topic or issue lines up with the Bible. If you don't know the Bible well, ask someone you trust or check out a Bible search feature for key topics like Bible Gateway). I've also got an older post that covers some questions to think about when you read the Bible (or hear from it in messages) and resources to help (see Google Faith ).


• Consider the source ... For example, is it someone you know and trust? Someone qualified in his/her profession (e.g. are you taking health advice from a doctor)? How does their life line up with what they're saying? (For example, I wouldn't necessarily take relationship advice from someone who has been divorced two times or financial advice from someone whose finances are out of whack.)
  
• ... But understand you can usually learn something from anyone. Credibility can be important, but it only happens over time. Give people the benefit of the doubt. If your main focus is learning and growing, you can usually learn something from anyone--even if it's what NOT to do. :)


• Ask how your question lines up with what you know about God's character. For example, let's say someone tells you, "The most spiritual people are poor--you know, like Mother Teresa" and you wonder, "Is that true?" If you know God as the provider who meets all your needs and the God who wants to make you "prosperous and successful," then you'd know the first statement isn't true.


• Look at the big picture. When you're reading the Bible or listening to a message, keep a big picture perspective--what's the main idea? Don't get caught up in minuscule issues or technicalities.
  
• Realize that there aren't answers to every question. As much as you can learn, there's some stuff that can't be answered or "proven" by anyone on this planet. That's where faith comes in--sometimes you have to trust the truth even when you can't see it.