Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday May 7, 2008

My long time friend Dave Caswell recently made a business move that astounded some of our mutual friends. Knowing Dave I was sure he had a good reason for this dramatic move. He did what business demands in a highly competitive field, so he jettisoned one branch of his business and strengthened another. One was a dead loss; the other was doing well, so he opted to improve the one that is producing. A vine dresser would do the same. It is called pruning.

In his note to me Dave said:

"It was impractical to stay and progressive to go. Hence no decision. There is a wonderful prayer that includes the line 'The weight of a decision unto me doth not belong.'"

Decisions are a part of life and on occasion wrong decisions can bring heartbreaking results, so wise decisions require an honest evaluation of the facts and the abandonment of emotional factors. I have always had trouble with this procedure as I get emotionally attached to the way I have always done things, an affinity with some things I do, such as this daily letter. I love doing it, but when I consider the time invested against any financial return, I come face to face with a reality I do not like. A writer must eat!!! This is a shame.

I have made a decision. A decision to seriously explore means to make this daily effort profitable in some way. The monthly paper, Larry Lilly's Journal barely pays its own way and I ask for help each month. A friend is helping me to place an appeal in an occasional daily in hopes this will bring in enough funds to pay for some serious help in processing the daily such as editing, HTML, loading the letter in the email slot for mailing and the actual sending of the letter each night. It takes much more time to properly process the letter than the actual writing of it, hence the need for quality help. I must find the key to raising the needed funds. I would appreciate your prayers and any input. Often the "empirical" evidence makes decisions for you! Yet I know of several daily letters that produce outstanding returns. I confess to not knowing the how.

I like Dave's prayer as it deals with refusing to look back and rethink a decision already made and implemented. The worse thing that can happen is that the decision was wrong. The country people, now known as Appalachian Americans have a phrase for this, "Don't pet the dog yesterday." Petting yesterday's dog solves no problem and often mires us in a bog of pity, when we need to be charging ahead in a positive manner believing the Lord for great and mighty things.

The noted television preacher, Charles Stanley says, "Obey God and leave the consequences to Him." Good advice and a good method to defeat the human tendency to rethink decisions once they are made. Many a runner has lost the race due to looking back. A winner looks forward, with their eye on the prize. Far too many Christians spend all waking hours looking back.

Choosing to do what you do well even better is seldom a mistake. Procrastinating is often a fatal decision.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit.

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