Why do people make so many bad choices? Why do so many people make decisions that are not in their own interest? Let’s look at three reasons why people make bad choices as a means of helping us make good choices.
The first reason people make bad choices is that they don’t think their choices matter. They think it does not matter what they decide. In theological terms, they believe everything is predestined and they deny the reality of free will. In sociological terms, they display a kind of passive victimhood that prevents them from improving their circumstances. They make bad choices because they don’t think their choices matter.
The second reason people make bad choices is that they are unable to discern the correct choices. There are so many decisions to be made, and there is so much conflicting advice, that they are overwhelmed. They need to be able to reduce the options to a simple few: do what honors God and love other people. When they are unable to simplify the many possibilities before them, they make bad choices.
The third reason people made bad choices in that they think it is too late. They think they have already done so much damage to their lives that their choices are now irrelevant. They say things like, “If only I had been born into a different family,” or “If only I had not met that person,” or “If only I had taken better care of myself.” They make bad choices because they think it no longer matters what they decide.
In our sermon this Sunday we will look at the reasons people make bad decisions and how we can make good decisions that lead us to the good life.