“If something’s got to be done, but you don’t know what to do, wait, it’ll come to you.” (From a letter to my kids.)

Used to be, one of my favorite sayings, one of the principles I lived by was, “Do something, even if it’s wrong.”  My rationale was that God could direct you easier if you were moving rather than sitting still.  (And if you do something, at least things will change, and maybe you’ll know what to do about the new situation, even if you didn’t know what to do about the previous situation.) Well, maybe.

But now, I think it would be easier for God to send you in the right direction if you weren’t already going in the wrong direction.  My more recent experience indicates that in a crisis, if you don’t already know what to do from experience, you should wait until you understand the situation better.  I know, it takes a lot of guts to just stand there, when it is clear that something MUST be done, like RIGHT NOW.  Don’t do it.  Just stay alert, and something will turn up, sooner than you think.  Sometimes it’s exhilarating when a great idea just comes on you like a flash of light.  Sometimes you’ll hear the answer from your opponent or a bystander, and sometimes the whole thing will work out without you doing anything.  And usually, if you wait, they’ll give you two or three chances to do something before you lose control.

It’s pretty easy to go into lockdown.  But don’t do it.  Use the time to observe the other person.  Think of it as a game.  You may lose the score, but you can still win the game.  You may lose the battle, but you can still win the war.  Keep your balance.  If you don’t know what to do, just wait, it’ll come to you!