Is there always another way? The old saying says that there is. But in the dark of night at the 11:59th hour… is there, really? If we happen to be the person that needs ‘another way’, then we would want this to be true. Doesn’t answer the question though. Scripture (1Corinthians 10:13) tells us that in the worst of places, He (Jesus) always makes a way (regardless of how we got ourselves into ‘it’). And for the Christian, we hold fast to that promise. It is a lifeline. My personal caveat on this is that we need to go to the Lord and ask for help to find another way and then we have to be willing to follow His way even in times and with ‘directions’ that seem counter intuitive.
If you can see ahead and know you will need another way, what do you do about and with this information? A 11:59th hour understanding typically forces us to choose the quickest way out of whatever we are in. The more reasoned early alert provides us with a bit more leeway to see not only where we are, but where we seem to be going, and what we need to do. ‘Another way’ need is always an opportunity to reassess and either change or continue.
I’ve discovered that another problem arises if all we do is focus on ‘we’ trying to make a way. Sometimes the problem is relying on only ourselves to make that new way. Even at the last minute we should look at what else may be available to us in terms of other resources to help us quickly decide what we need to do now. Too often our personal goals to say nothing about the other people who are involved get tossed to the sideline in a rush to extricate and possibly save … ourselves? Sadly, often the first casualty is … reason. Hopefully the second isn’t our ethics.
But… what happens when the time is 11:59:59? What is our response when rushed and we don’t feel we have sufficient data to make our best response? Since the definition of ‘another way’ is typically – need. We need a change from what we are doing, and we need it now! Whatever provoked the need for another way typically gets lost in the rush to change. And while I do appreciate the emergency basis for correction, as soon as possible there is a need to also look at the ramification that occur when we make our adjustment as well as all the other attendant questions and issues. If we fail to analyze then we fall prey to… repetition.
… what to do?
