Indecision becomes decision

When I was in my mid-teen years, we were blessed with a family doctor who was a dedicated member of the Church. His name was Dr. Milton H. Brinton. He was a wise man and a strong supporter of the Word Of Wisdom. So much so, in fact, that he prepared a slide show of the effects of smoking and use of alcohol and presented it to all who would listen. As a doctor, he had seen firsthand the effects of these things on people’s lives and happiness.


In mid-twentieth century America, the various purveyors of these products maintained that they were harmless (especially the tobacco companies). Doctors were paid to appear in TV and magazine ads with the message that filter cigarettes were less irritating to the throat. Menthol was added to cigarettes to (supposedly) ease throat irritation. There were no laws governing the sale of cigarettes to minors, nor were there definitive studies that provided a link between tobacco and cancer. Tobacco companies pandered shamelessly to youth and adults who viewed their products as manly and mature. Women were encouraged to believe that these things were sophisticated and elegant.

Alcoholic beverages were marketed in the same ways. It was easy for teenagers to buy beer and hard liquor. Many liquor store owners did not even ask for an ID.

Of course, Doctor Brinton was not shy about insisting that use and abuse these substances would bring – at best – nothing but ill health and a shorter lifespan, and at worst, severely debilitating effects on our bodies and lives – eventually leading to an early demise.

But for me, the most important part of Doctor Brinton’s message was not that these things were harmful and addictive, although his graphic depictions of the results of their abuse certainly impressed me. I can still see some of the slides he showed as part of his lecture in my mind’s eye – exactly the effect he wanted, I’m sure.

It was his mantra: “Indecision becomes decision with the passage of time” that has stayed with me for the rest of my life. This was a minor epiphany for me. It had never before occurred to me that circumstances could eventually force an unwanted choice on me.

Applied to harmful substances, he suggested that a decision to avoid them would assure better quality of life, freedom from addiction, and better health, just as the revelation called the Word of Wisdom promised. Not making a decision early would eventually, and quickly, lead to an addiction that was difficult to break. The decision was made and the freedom of choice – the agency – we so cherish was taken away by dependency.

I am sure that Doctor Brinton recognized, as I do, that his catchphrase had wider application. We are confronted every day with choices in all areas of our lives. Sometimes we can successfully postpone a decision for a time, but often the postponement results in circumstances making the decision for us.

Elder Franklin D. Richards said on November 3, 1964, as recorded in BYU Speeches of the Year:

...we must recognize that indecision itself is in reality a decision and generally, in my opinion, a very poor one.

Elijah said to all the children of Israel,

How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. (1 Kings 18:21)

Because of the veil over our eyes that hides the pre-existence, we must make eternal decisions based on less than perfect knowledge. This is part of the test of mortality; we must seek and nurture faith. Interestingly, the more we pursue and develop faith in the Lord, the more assistance we can receive from the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost, as we make life decisions. The fourth Article of Faith tells us that the very first principle of the gospel is faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. So halting “between two opinions” is the kind of indecision that is deadly to real faith. The Savior himself said:

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (Matthew 12:30)

Commenting on this concept, Neal A. Maxwell, in his book, Notwithstanding My Weakness said:

Jesus said, "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27)
Significantly, in the Joseph Smith Translation of that same verse, these sobering words were added, which reflect the deep demands of the first commandment: "Wherefore, settle this in your hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach, and command you." (JST Luke 14:28) To love God and obey Him is a decision that must be firmly settled in our hearts. Ambivalence is a hindrance, and indecision is a decision (italics added).

President Monson has found the way to assure himself and the Lord that his decisions are “firmly settled” in his heart: In a 1989 LDS Church News article titled “Lord Provides Windows of Service, Love” he is quoted as saying (speaking of a painting of the Savior in his office):

When confronted with a vexing problem or difficult decision," he said, "I always gaze at that picture of the Master and silently I ask myself the question: 'What would He have me do?' No longer does doubt linger, nor does indecision prevail. The way to go is clear, and the pathway before me beckons.

Joseph Fielding McConkie, in his book, Seeking the Spirit, comments about the decision-making process:

… even indecision would impose a decision on us, if we are going to remain agents unto ourselves, we are obligated to consciously choose the course we will follow. We choose that course with the realization that we are at the same time choosing to live with the consequences of that decision. Our obligation then is to exercise the best judgment we can and make a decision (italics added).

Our prophets and other Church leaders have always encouraged us to decide for the Lord. Not making a decision to live the gospel not only hinders our eternal progress, but prevents the Lord from showering promised blessings on us. Again quoting elder Neal A. Maxwell, in his book, That My Family Should Partake:

It is an act of kindness for prophets to press mankind for a decision, because the absence of a decision to commit is a decision (italics added). Of course, indecision does not push us immediately into gross sin, but it renders us ineffective and uninfluential in a world that so much needs committed individuals; as a minimum, we have lost time in terms of the impact we might have had. Therefore, too much time in "no-man's land," in a sense, really puts us in the enemy's camp.

Three centuries ago the French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, suggested his famous wager:

This however is certain, either that God is, or that he is not; there is no choice; you are committed, and not to wager that God is, is to wager that he is not. Which side then do you take?"

Commenting about Pascal’s wager the 1955 Sunday School manual, Christ's Ideals for Living, reads:

The important part of the argument is that which reads: "not to wager that God is, is to wager that he is not." … Life goes on. It will not stop while we delay our decision. And "not to wager that God is, is to wager that he is not." How few realize that by delayed indecision of whether to wager at all, they have already made their wager — "that he is not."

All of the decisions we make in this life have an effect on us and on the quality of our mortal lives. Buying a new car, career choices, housing choices, even the kinds of clothing we choose can have profound impact on our future lives. Not choosing, can have a similar, sometimes negative effect. Decision-making, which is really the process of exercising our God-given agency, is not always a simple process. Sometimes we must choose between two seemingly acceptable choices, Sometimes a decision seems attractive, but later proves to be a bad choice. Sometimes we have the feeling that the spirit has validated our choice, but hindsight makes the choice less acceptable. These situations are part of mortal life. The only way to help ourselves make good choices consistently is to live the gospel, search the scriptures, ponder, and pray for guidance from the Lord. Oliver Cowdery was chastised by the Lord because Oliver “took no thought save it was to ask me” (D&C 9:7). Proper preparation for making life’s decisions can help to assure us that they are “settled within our hearts”, as with President Monson:

“No longer does doubt linger, nor does indecision prevail. The way to go is clear, and the pathway before me beckons.”