“The Bible said it. I believe it. That settles it.”
The pin I wore on my high school letter jacket carried these lines in the weeks after my baptism. To me, the Christian life seemed pretty simple. Read what the Bible says about any issue. Believe it. And that’s that.
These days, it’s not so simple.
What does the Bible say about tens of thousands of refugees flooding European borders. What does the Bible say about who to vote in as President of the United States? What does the Bible say about the ozone layer, melting glaciers or global warming? Sometimes it’s hard to find book, chapter and verse on contemporary topics.
And even when there is a book, chapter and verse, it’s hard to find unanimity among Christians. It turns out that there are Christians who vote Democratic and Christians who vote Republican. There are Christians who have different perspectives on how to address the refugee crisis. And Christians stand on both sides of the debate over global warming.
Perhaps this is why Jesus often focused not simply on what decisions we make as his followers, but how we make those decisions.
Many of Jesus’ parables explore people having to make practical and critical decisions. And Jesus uses them to reveal not only what decisions we make but how we make those decisions.
Jesus tells this story of a young son:
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. (Lk. 15:11-13 ESV)
What motivated the son’s decision to leave home? It seems to have been boredom or apathy.
Jesus tells this story of a man to whom is entrusted a talent:
‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. (Matt. 25:24-25 ESV)
What motivated this servant’s decision? It seems to have been fear or worry.
Jesus tells this story of a master who hires help and has to justify his pay scale to an ungrateful worker:
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? (Matt. 20:15 ESV)
What motivated this master’s decision? It seems to have been generosity and love.
Jesus was an expert in human behaviors and their motivations. Thus, in parables and through other means, Jesus explored the many things that motivate our decision making. We don’t simply read it, believe it and act on it. We are driven by a variety of emotions and motives.
St. Ignatius became a student of this aspect of Jesus’ ministry. He observed that there are a handful of productive/ positive emotions/motives that drive good and godly decisions (which he called “consolation”). And there are a handful of unproductive/negative emotions/motives that drive poor and godless decisions (which he called “desolation”). By becoming aware of these emotions, we become better able to make more godly decisions.
|
Consolation – Good Decision Making |
Desolation – Bad Decision Making |
|
Faith God’s will is most often accomplished when our decision is rooted in answers to questions like these: What is the most faith-filled thing to do? |
Faithlessness The decision is not motivated by trust in God. Instead, it is driven by doubt about what God or others might do if we make a different choice than the one we’ve made. |
| HopeWhat is the most hopeful thing to do? |
Hopelessness The decision does not grow out of confidence in God’s providence. It is stirred by despair at what the future might hold if we made a different choice than the one we’ve made. |
| LoveWhat is the most loving thing to do? |
Lovelessness The decision does not lead to greater love for others. Instead, it results in isolation from others or even aggressiveness toward others. |
| A sense of God’s closenessOne of the strongest signs that we are in a state of consolation is a strong, deep and lasting experience of the presence of God after reaching a decision. |
Lack of closeness to God The decision does not produce a sense of closeness with God. Instead, after carrying out the decision, we feel distant from God. |
| Peace and tranquilityThe decision we’ve made may still lead to problems and even to negative emotions. But if it is aligned with God’s will, it will ultimately bring a deep peace to our heart. |
Disquietude and agitation The outcome of the decision is not a heart full of peace. We experience disquietude and agitation after making our choice. Fear and worry If consolation is “letting God dream in us,” desolation is “letting the false spirit nightmare in us.” When our decision is driven by anxiety or fear it does not end in God’s will being done. |
| Great desiresIf we’ve made a certain choice because it seems to correspond with a great passion in our heart for some aspect of God’s work in the world, there is a greater chance that this choice reflects God’s will. |
Boredom and apathy The decision grows out of feelings of indifference toward others or toward God. |
How about you? Which of these emotions/motives tend to influence your decision-making, regardless of what the Bible says?
