Scripture: Proverbs 19:18 Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.
Nugget: Discipline your children while they can still take correction and don’t get distracted or sidetracked by emotions. They will cry now, but both them and you will smile later. But to me this verse is more than just kids – it applies to our dealings with tough situations in life.
Too often, we are faced with tough decisions that we know we need to make, but from fear of hurting someone; or of feeling bad; or of saying “I’ve already invested so much in this” – we go forward. Unfortunately, in the end, it costs us much more later down the road, than if we had made the tough decision earlier. Examples: Ending a relationship you know has issues; but instead you choose to stay on and marry the person because you have dated for 10 years. Can I go on? Deciding not to get rid of an employee who is causing chaos, because you feel bad and what will people think – yet, the whole team is being dragged down by their presence. One more – you have committed to an agreement to invest in a company, but before you sign you realize there are some things that you are not so sure about. However, in order to save face, you go ahead – even though in your heart you know its a wrong investment.
We can go on and on – summary of it all is, play out the projected outcome in your mind and be brave enough to make the tough choice now, even with the short term emotional impact. You’ll thank yourself for it later.
Quote: “Anything permitted increases” – Mike Murdock
From I&A