Pastor's wife: We should beware making hasty decisions

By DAWN REED

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Decisions made in haste or on emotions don’t usually turn out as planned.  I can attest to that.

One morning in 8th grade, I did something very, very, very not smart.  It seemed like such a cool idea at the time.  Trendy even.  No one had ever done it before. I would be the very first.

So that morning, fueled by pioneer spirit and the hope of being cool, I put on my headgear and walked boldly into the day.  Clearly, I had not thought the decision through.

As you might imagine, that decision did not make me look cool.  And smart was not what they called me that day or any other day after.  “Antennae” was my nickname for the rest of the school year.

At least I learned from my mistake and never did it again.

Nebuchadnezzar was the king of hasty decisions.  Countless times in the book of Daniel he reacted instead of responded.  He exploded first and asked questions later.  In Daniel 2, he was troubled by a dream.  The wise men of Babylon were consulted.  He demanded that they tell him the dream and its meaning.  When they couldn’t, he ordered the execution of all his advisors.  Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prayed for the mystery to be revealed.  God intervened and the crisis was averted. 

In the next chapter, Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold that was 90 feet tall.  It was to be worshipped and adored by everyone in the kingdom when the music of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and pipes began to play.  Or else.  Any non-participants would immediately be thrown into a fiery furnace. 

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego boldly defied the king’s order, refusing to worship anyone but the One True God, Nebuchadnezzar’s anger turned to fury.  His attitude toward them changed.  “Heat the furnace seven times hotter,” he bellowed over the flames.  Into the fire the three Hebrew boys went, but they were not alone.  Nebuchadnezzar saw another walking around in the fire with them. He was none other than the Lord.

When they came out of the fire, unharmed and not even smelling like smoke, King Nebuchadnezzar praised the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Then, in his next breath, he declared that anyone who ever spoke against their God would be cut into pieces and their houses be turned in to piles of rubble.  Mercy.

We can learn from King Nebuchadnezzar’s haste.  James 1:8 directs us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all …”  Before acting, we should take a breath and say a prayer.  Verse 19 in that same chapter sheds more light: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”   Those are words for a king and everyone else.

We can also learn from an uncool 8th grader.  “Enthusiasm without knowledge is not good.  If you act too quickly, you might make a mistake,” (Proverbs 19:2).  No kidding.

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Dawn Reed is a pastor's wife and newspaper columnist. Reach her at preacherswife7@yahoo.com. 

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Quote: Smart was not what they called me that day or any other day after.  'Antennae' was my nickname for the rest of the school year.