The distinctions we make between good and evil are paramount. Scripture pleads with us to be alert to these decision points. And then there are micro distinctions we must make between what is good and what is better, what is bad and what is worse. In the best of times, all of these decision points have their challenges. But add human desire, and the once obvious distinctions between good and evil become blurred or even overturned, as evil is judged as good.
Life is in the details. Listen to C. S. Lewis describe how our small, day-to-day decisions matter:
Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.[1]
While we fret the big decisions—jobs, family changes, retirement—the action is in the endless small ones.
This morning, I woke up and had to decide between exercise and a leisurely cup of coffee. I chose coffee. Then other decisions followed. Is it necessary to take a shower and be rushed, or should I rely on the room deodorizer in my office? Do I clean up some of my morning mess, or should I tell my wife I will clean up when I get home, which I probably won’t? And what about reading Scripture? Where will that fit into my day? Ugh, I can hear the refrain about the value of morning devotions in my head. As I make the short drive to CCEF, do I tolerate a little grumbling because I had to stop for a long, slow train, or do I confess my grumbling?
I am only an hour into my day, still on autopilot, and I have yet to get online—then the decisions will really come fast and furious. Hundreds of other judgments and moments of discernment are to come before lunch. Though I am barely aware of them, their cumulative effect is what constitutes my personal character—they are me—and the judgments will affect many others.
