Decision Making

Today (see the end... this is actually a month old...) for our weekly
Transition Program life skills class we talked about how to make
decisions.

Categories:
1) Good vs. Bad
2) Easy vs. Hard
3) Short-term vs. Long-term
4) Personal vs. Group
5) Consequences
6) Biblical & Prayer based

Topics included Relationships, Life/Career, Drugs/Alcohol, fighting,
stealing, sleeping & waking time, studying and more.

First we looked at the fact that we all know what good versus bad
decisions look like. Then we examined which decisions are easier to
make (what to eat, when to wake up, etc.) and which are harder
(marriage, job, addictions) to be wise about. After that we looked
at not just making decisions for today but for the future as well,
and why that plays out differently in a poorer country like Haiti
than the United States.
We dived into Cost/Benefit Analysis and then did a mock decision
process. Weighing the good vs. the bad is a skill that takes time.
It was clear that students even differed among themselves at what
price they'd risk venturing for more money from a non-guaranteed
contract over the course of the year instead of a higher one-time
unit payment.
In the end, though, we spent some time discussing what the bible
says about making decisions.

Proverbs 2:5-6 = "Then you will understand what it means to fear the
Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants
wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding."
1 Corinthians 10:31 = "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you
do, do it all for the glory of God."
and finally we explored 2 Samuel 13 and 14: the story of King David
and his poor choices involving Bathsheba (& killing her husband,
Uriah; all of which led to the division of his family, the death of
his son, and so much more) and not doing what he was supposed to do
as king.

Really and truly, this is now a month old. So much has happened, and
this is now a story to be continued. Just the next week on may 10 we
talked about building trust (or tearing it down)... the next day one
of our kids was excused from the program and granted the "freedom" he
had declared for so long he had and was free to take, regardless of
the rules...