How To Make The Right Parenting DecisionShembull

What Are the Consequences of Your Decisions?

Melissa and John faced a dilemma when their son Joey turned 5. They had been sending him to a small Christian preschool, but now it was time to decide what to do for kindergarten. 

“It was an incredible setting and an incredible community,” says Melissa. But they had not planned to pay for continuing private education. “The decision was a really hard one.” 

If Joey stayed in the Christian school, there would be a high financial cost to the family. Adding to the problem, the school only went up through 6th grade. This gave Melissa and John more questions about the future. “Do I transition him to public school now, or in middle school?” Melissa wondered.

The Bible suggests we should start the decision-making process by considering the potential consequences of our actions. Deuteronomy 28 shows that some actions bring blessings while others bring curses. Where would Melissa and John’s son experience more blessings – at public school, or in private school? What would be the risks he might face in either environment?

Melissa and John weighted this decision methodically. They listed potential consequences of either action, both in the short term and several years down road when their son would need to transition to middle school.

“We made a pros and cons list,” Melissa says. In addition to the financial concerns and the emotional impact on their son, they evaluated how their values would be represented through either action. 

“We named our values and figured out how our values would get lived out in either setting,” says Melissa. 

Through this exercise, they realized that one of their values is engaging with a variety people from different cultures and beliefs.  “We felt you have to learn to be a Christian in the world.”

For the reasons they listed in their evaluation, Melissa and John decided to transition their child into public kindergarten.

When you face a tough parenting decision, think about the potential consequences of each of your choices. List all the consequences you can think of, both in the short term and in the long term. Does one choice yield more blessing?

Prayer

Lord give me your insight into the consequences of my choices. Guide me towards blessing for my children. Amen.