I used to grow chilli plants... lots of them!

Then when I moved to Carrickmacross in the summer of 2011 I left them all behind - except one.  I brought the strongest one with me hoping to start again - create a new forest of chilli plants!

When I arrived in Carrick it was summer, but I couldn't find a natural spot in the house to set the plant.  So with the busyness of moving house I popped it outside to soak up a bit of sun.  I would walk passed it every day and say to myself - 'I need to sort out a spot for that plant'.  I knew I had to make a decision on where it was going to go - but I kept putting it off...

Until one day I walked passed it and I realise just how much time at gone by - the first frost had arrived!  Frost and Chilli don't mix, the plant was well and truly dead!

For so long I had put off making a decision about where it's permanent home was going to be that a decision was made for me.

Sometimes not making a decision IS making a decision

We can keep putting off a decision without realising that THAT is a decision in itself.  Think about these decisions...

• Should I change jobs? - it's there in the back of our heads but we don't take the time to think it through - we ARE making a decision...
• How can I make my marriage better? - we know we should think about this but life gets too busy to try things - we ARE making a decision...
• Do I have time to take up a sport? - we drive passed the gym every day and think to ourselves that we should get involved - we ARE making a decision...
• What do I think of God? - Christian stuff is interesting, I wonder what it is all about - we ARE making a decision...

The problem with these type of decisions is that they would never normally be our first choice.  In the cold light of day we would never actively choose to stay in a dead-end job our whole lives, we would never choose to allow our marriages to die, we would never choose miss out getting fit and enjoying sport, we would never choose to miss out on knowing the God who made us.

But when we allow ourselves to make decisions by NOT making decisions... we make terrible decisions!