Why I Bought 15 of the Same T-Shirt

Every morning I wake up, go through my preflight checklist for the day’s adventure, and walk to my closet. Waiting inside just left of the center divider are my fifteen nearly identical T-shirts. The only thing that differs are the five different colors and whether they are a v-neck or standard cut shirt. Why in the world would I do this? What compelled me to empty my closet in order to donate five thirty gallon trash bags full of clothes? I did it to simplify.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about minimalism. I’ve not ventured into much of that. I don’t want to be a minimalist in the way I mostly understand them. I merely want to simplify my life. I’ve spent the better part of two years now simplifying everything. It was bound to reach my closet. I simplified the way I work. I simplified the way I communicate. I even simplified my faith—which seems like a no brainer. But why my closet? Well, not to be coy, but it’s a simple answer. In order to eliminate decisions.

I want to make less decisions. I’ve reached a stage in life when my responsibilities have never been larger. I’ve never been “needed” by so many people before. People depend on me to make good decisions. So in order to make great decisions I’ve made a few changes. One of those changes has been to eliminate unnecessary decisions.

I have fifteen of the same T-shirt because what T-shirt I’m going to wear in the morning is an unnecessary decision. Sometimes I am heading to an event or occasion that calls for attire a bit more demanding than a T-shirt. But not often. If I do I’m ready for that and it’s an important enough event for me to invest the time it takes to make a decision. If not, then it is T-shirt time.

Research has demonstrated that we are really only capable of making so many sound decisions in a given day. So I cut out the ones that don’t really matter. This is also why I eat two hard-boiled eggs for breakfast daily with two cups of black coffee. I just eliminated another decision. 

I’m not obsessive compulsive. I don’t freak out if I don’t have my eggs or need to put on a dress shirt. I frequently decide to do something different, but I don’t have to. That’s why I bought fifteen of the same T-shirt. I sat a decision free. That’s one more decision I can make every day concerning something far more important than what’s hiding my belly button from the world.

How can you rescue a decision in your everyday world? What extra thing might you do, think, or attempt if your mind wasn’t preoccupied with some unnecessary decision? Simplify your own path to opportunity and see where it takes you. 

March 14 - All Night

Read: Luke 6:12-16

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12 ESV)

Jesus had a big decision to make: Out of all the people that had started following him, who would become his apostles? To help him choose he did what we frequently see him do, he prayed. It wasn't a short prayer. It was a token acknowledgement of a scenario that was too large for him. It was an earnest search for guidance.

In the past my wife and I had a student that would ask to use our guest room as a place of prayer at night so as not to disturb his roommate. I nearly always obliged as these requests always came in the midst of a pressing situation in his life. In fact I have always admired his willingness to spend such a long time seeking God's guidance in the meaningful matters of life, as well as his faith in believing that he can hear from the Father in a way that is practical enough to act upon.

That's what Jesus did on the mountain that night. He prayed for an urgent need. He deliberated in the Spirit for quite a long time. He allowed God to guide him in a specific direction and he acted upon it.

What would it take for us to pray like that? I have to admit I rarely spend that kind of time in deliberate prayer. What kind of difference would it make in our decision making? When faced with life's tough choices would it make those choices easier? Perhaps not, but I believe that even in the most difficult of situations it would afford a measure of peace.

10 Tips for Making Good Decisions

Life usually doesn’t fit into nice neat little lists, but that doesn’t keep me from trying. Welcome to my Tuesday 10, where I try to fit the messiness of life into a list of ten. It is a fact of life. We make decisions daily. Some of them are almost inconsequential while others are potentially life altering for ourselves and others. In the case of that latter kind, I'd like to offer ten tips that help me when faced with weighty decisions.

1. Weigh the pros and cons. Make a list. Jot them down. But remember, not all pros and cons are equal.

2. Prayer is important. If you aren't already doing that I'm not sure anything else on this list will help you. Remember, God is your Heavenly Father. Talking to Him about your choices should be like asking your earthly father, or someone you love and respect, for advice.

3. Get counsel. Not a lawyer (unless the situation calls for it). A key individual or small group of intelligent people you trust. Find someone that has faced a similar decision before. It's generally a good idea to ask people older than you if you don't have a lot of life experience. (If you're in college or younger, chances are you don't have a lot of life experience.)

4. What does the Bible say about it? Chances are that someone, somewhere, within those 31,103 verses faced a similar situation, if not the exact situation.

5. WWJD: "What would Jesus Do," it's a really old saying, but it's also a timeless litmus test for all believers that really can apply to every situation. Number 2 & 4 tend to make this one a lot easier.

6. Ask yourself what will help others. Is there an outcome that will greatly benefit others?

7. Ask yourself if it's selfish. It's ok to be selfish sometimes, but not every time, and certainly not to the point of self worship.

8. If this is a decision involving another party directly, such as in a job or relationship situation, ask them direct questions and get direct answers. Don't be fooled by noncommittal responses. Find out their expectations and make yours known.

9. Some people say not to trust your gut, I disagree. What most people call "gut feelings" I actually believe are promptings from the Holy Spirit. As Christians we believe that God made us, and He lives in our hearts. Why would we not trust that? Just remember, feelings and emotions are a speedometer not a steering wheel.

10. Find out what other people who were faced with a similar decision did. Robert Frost was a great writer, but he was also kind of an idiot. Sometimes the road is less travelled because bad things lie down that path.