We all make decisions. Every day, whether we’re president of the U.S. or a small child, we make decisions. We reach a place, a fork in the road, a business problem, a playgound turmoil, where we must choose something. We seek change, we want peace, we want to get ahead, we want more marketshare and profits. We need to make a decision.

Many people make quick decisions. They think that the quantity of decisions they make is the goal. They trudge down the agenda and rapidly change directions, policies and conditions without much hesitation. At the end of the day they may feel better (“Hey, the agenda is completed”) but they also may be swimming in shallow water.

The best decisions are quality decisions. Ones where we get input and go deeper to find the best solutions. Not the quickest, not the one that feels better, but the one that best leads the organization or our lives in the right direction.

In Luke 5:1-7 Jesus shows us how to go deeper and make quality decisions. In this narrative, the fishermen are just coming ashore from a lousy day. No fish. They are cleaning thier nets (no small task in the first century) and Jesus tells them to go back out to deeper waters. They are tired from their day, they probably don’t “feel” like going back out, but they do (and this is key).

When they went deeper, following the voice of Jesus, Scripture says, “They caught a great number of fish.” The result shows the right decision. It shows wisdom of going deeper when we don’t feel like going deeper. They had every reason to make a quick decision, but they chose (another key) to go deeper.

Our natural self says, “Nope, I’ve tried, I’m done. I’m deciding this because I’m not feeling it.” This is shallow water living. Jesus tells us to go deeper. In spite of our feelings, in spite of all the data (“We didn’t catch any fish today”), He says, “Go deeper. Follow my instruction and go deeper to find the answer (in this case so many fish that their net was breaking).

We can make quick decisions. We can stay in shallow water and rattle off the decisions based on our feelings or some data.

Or, we can go deeper. We can seek quality decisions by listening to Jesus voice, going deeper and finding wisdom in the depths.

Proverbs 2: 1-6 says:

MY SON, if you will receive my words and treasure up my commandments within you,

²Making your ear attentive to skillful and godly Wisdom and inclining and directing your heart and mind to understanding [applying all your powers to the quest for it];

³Yes, if you cry out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,

⁴If you seek [Wisdom] as for silver and search for skillful and godly Wisdom as for hidden treasures,

⁵Then you will understand the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of [our omniscient] God.

⁶For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Seek wisdom and quality decisions. Go for the deeper waters and reap the benefits of quality decisions, not fast ones, not feeling ones, not data ones. Quality ones.

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