Decisions, Decisions

I get to wondering about the craziest things.

John and I recently travelled to Chicago. On the 12-hour trip, in an effort to stay awake and keep John awake I downed a can of Pepsi, followed by a large cup of coffee. I rarely consume caffeine and discovered very quickly that it would do more than keep me awake… it required numerous bathroom breaks!

Entering the “Women” side at the service centers, I was faced with a decision… “which stall?” And that started me wondering what criteria women (and men) use to make that choice.

I’ve seen women cautiously push the door open to get a glimpse inside the stall. Undoubtedly it’s the state of the interior they’re checking. Is the seat dry? Have contents been flushed? Is the floor dry? Sufficient supply of paper? With just a glance, they make up their mind to either enter or exit… leaving it for the next needy traveler. Actually, I’ve seen the condition of the commode cause some women to suddenly decide that they no longer need to use the bathroom at all. Amazing!

There are those who prefer the stall farthest from the entrance. Others scan for feet and choose to have at least one empty stall between themselves and those feet. I suppose in either case privacy is paramount.

Young moms have told me they choose the “handicap” stall so they can line their gang of preschoolers up against the door and still have room to bend. And I’m sure that more than a few claustrophics choose that one as well.

Others are fast decision-makers… either because they were born that way, or because they’re just in too big of a hurry to weigh the choices.

I even remember that years ago (this really dates me), some public restrooms had a few free stalls and several “pay stalls.” Those willing to put in their quarter expected “squeaky-clean,” but didn’t always get what they had paid for.

Mmmmm… appearance, cleanliness, privacy, urgency, comfort, convenience, cost. I recognize that these are criteria I use to make lots of daily choices. Choosing a bathroom stall is pretty insignificant in the whole scheme of things. As my mother-in-law, Betty, used to say, “In light of eternity what does this really matter?” However, there are choices that carry way more significance… not just for the here and now, but for the now and forever.

I observe that many of my choices are in reality “me” decisions. What do I want? What do I like? What benefits me? Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:3-5).

So if I truly adjusted my attitude from “me” to “Christ,” I wonder how differently I would look at the decisions I have to make: when to get up or go to bed, how to spend my time, what I would eat, the people I would talk to, how I would talk to them, what I would give away, what I would keep… hundreds of daily choices. “Me?” or “Christ?” That really simplifies life a lot. Okay, so maybe the choice of bathroom stall wouldn’t be affected. Maybe Jesus wouldn’t care about that… but then again… I wonder.