There are some decisions you make that, once decided, change everything.  Years ago, some of my friends convinced me to do an Outward Bound adventure in the Pisgah National Forest.  Now look, they were all outdoorsy types, so this kind of thing was right up their alley.  Me?  Not so much, not really.  And on the first day, I learned something which had me more than a little unnerved.  You see, this school had a ropes course.  You know, the type they have lots of places these days, the Whitewater center has one, I believe.  But back then, in the early 90’s, they weren’t as prevalent. 

            But you see, I was a little bit scared of heights.  The prospect of ascending into the treetops didn’t please me but the end of the course had me the most unnerved.  At the end was a zip line which whisked you through the trees down to safe landing on the ground.  It was called “the butt box” and as soon as you gave the instructors the high sign, whoosh, off you went.

            I was really nervous that day, to say the least.  I’d made it through the course and was literally sitting on the butt box fully strapped in for a wild ride.  At first, I wasn’t going to do it.  I sat there for a few indecisive minutes.  Did I really want to do this?  What if the line snaps?  But, you see, the instructors told us – once you get to that point, there’s no turning back.  Not easily at least.  So, finally, mustering all the courage I had within me, I raised my hand, giving the high sign.  I had made the decision, going forward was the only way out. 

            The second I did, I mean, like the second I raised my hand, away I went.  Instantaneous free fall.

            As I look back on that experience, what I am forced to realize is that the toughest part of the whole darned thing wasn’t the actual ropes course, nor the butt box itself.  No, the most arduous task of all was making the decision to get up there in the first place. 

            And, if you’re like a growing number of us, decision making is tough. Making decisions will always be difficult because it takes time and energy to weigh your options. Things like second-guessing yourself and feeling indecisive are just a part of the process. In many ways, they’re a good thing—a sign that you’re thinking about your choices instead of just going with the flow.  But regardless, decision-making requires time and energy when done correctly.

            But life requires that we do so.  One simply can’t be wishy-washy about all things, can you?

            [Step 3 of the 12 Steps suggests that “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him. Now I’ve heard it said that this step is merely an action of the mind, somehow relegating in behind the so-called action steps.  But the more and more I’m around this program, the more I see the vital significance of Step 3.  Without it, we’re not very far removed from where we were to begin with – reliant on our individual strength alone to fight sin. 

            And, to be sure, making a decision to follow Jesus Christ is, I believe, a necessary and vital step to being an authentic Christian.  That’s the point of this particular series – to help us understand how to be authentic Christians.  After all, it’s pretty easy to say we’re Christian.  After all, seldom will people question our assertion that we are, at least to our faces they might not.  But I think we all recognize the difference between real faith and some ersatz, in-name-only variant of following Jesus Christ.  The former holds the power of the Holy Spirit to transform the life of the believer as well as those in their lives while the other is merely a means of feeling good about oneself.  Rather like switching seats on the Titanic.  Feels like you’re doing something but not really altering much in the way of what’s going to happen. 

            Thankfully, the Bible gives us examples of people making decisions.  This morning, we read again from Genesis 12.  I read it last week as well if it seems overly familiar.  In it, God approaches Abram with what was sure to seem an odd request – “Now the Lord said o Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”