What do you want to do today?

There is a scene in Disney's "The Jungle Book" that has always stuck with me. There are three or four vultures sitting in the trees. One turns to the others and says, "What do you want to do today?" To which another replies, "I don't know, what do you want to do today?". I find this scene very funny. So funny in fact, that I often repeat it in daily life. Delia will say, "What do want to do today?" And I reply, "I don't know, what do you want to do today?".

I think this scene is a brilliant commentary on indecisiveness. It demonstrates how easily a day passes, often with little to show for it, when we don't have a clear plan to follow. It also demonstrates how boredom can set in when we fail to make clear plans and act on those.

I love to eat, but I hate the question, "What do you want?" Why would I hate such a simple question? I hate it because it is often a means to an end not and end in its self. If the question were just wanting an answer, that would be great. What do you want for supper dear? I would like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus, honey. Question asked, question answered.

However, more often the question is asked as an introduction to a discussion about dinner and what would make the best menu. It goes something like this, "What do you want for supper?" I reply, "I would like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus, honey." Honey replies, "We just had fried chicken last week, and you know that we are trying to watch our diets. Mashed potatoes take to long and I hate asparagus. How about grilled pork chops, green beans and rice?"

Why not skip the middle man and set the menu? I feel like saying, "I may be the president of this household, but you are the general of the kitchen. Prepare those troops however you see fit, and I'll put them into service.

The truth is that neither Delia nor I like making decisions. We are both fairly passive people. We are easy going, agreeable, and generally willing to please others before ourselves. We find ourselves often parroting the vultures. "What do you want? No, what do you want?" or "Where do you want to eat? I don't care where do you want to eat?"

It all comes back to decisiveness. Somebody has to make a decision. Pork chops it is. Communication is a wonderful tool when it is used effectively. Caring about others, being tactful and considerate are all wonderful things, but they are not contrary to decisiveness. I don't mean that we should become self-centered and demanding. We just need to know what we want and pursue it. Sometimes we may have to adjust our plans in light of other people. Sometimes we may have to change our plans completely. But, we have to decide that we will do that.

If you don't make plans someone will make plans for you. If you don't speak your mind (but do it with gentleness and tact) no one will know what your thinking. Let me return to the meal analogy one last time. Let's think through this scenario: Someone asks you, "What would you like?" and you respond "I don't care." In essence, what you are saying is that a bowl of lima beans is the same as a chocolate pie or that a steak cooked to perfection is equal to stewed turnips or that grilled pork chops are as good as fried chicken. If that is true in your book, then decide to submit to the taste buds of another--there is nothing wrong with that. Taste is a subjective field and unless you live alone decisiveness will often submit to another.

My point is that we should speak the truth. If we want fried chicken, we should say we want fried chicken, but we shouldn't cry and pout if we don't get it. Not all things are as flexible as our tastes, nor should we be as flexible when it comes to certain things. Where the Bible speaks we should trust--decisively so. When put to the test we should decide to do the right thing, even if it means standing alone.

In many areas of my life I find that I struggle with decisiveness, but when it comes to God's Word there is no room for wavering. Jesus said that we were either for him or against him. A decision must be made. Decide to trust. Decide to study. Decide to pray. Decide to do what he has commanded. It is my prayer that God will enable you to make that decision and make able to follow it through. Indecisiveness in spiritual matters wastes entirely to much time. Jesus wants to know, "What do you want to do today?"