Have regrets? Join the club.
In May 2021, management professor Anthony Klutz coined the term “The Great Resignation” to describe the avalanche of employee resignations during and after Covid. Workers saw a new era forming, with remote jobs exploding in popularity and opportunity, and the labor force shifted toward a higher demand for such work-away-from-the-office jobs.
But that was then. This is now. And The Great Resignation is collapsing in a landslide of regrets.
Employees’ pain and buyer’s remorse
At times, a job change is wise. And it certainly makes sense to capitalize on a changing market, especially when it is shifting in your favor.
But when you make a rash decision, the results might not be what you hoped.
In an INC.com article, author Jessica Stillman reported that recent research shows many employees now regret their impulsive hop to a new job.
She writes that a survey of 2,500 workers by The Muse “found that almost three-quarters (72 percent)” of workers “experienced either ‘surprise or regret’ that the new position or new company turned out to be ‘very different’ from what they were led to believe. Nearly half (48 percent) of these workers said they would try to get their old job back,” if they could.
In addition, she reports that USA Today “found that just 26 percent of job switchers like their new job enough to stay.” And a “survey from Joblist found a quarter of those who quit their jobs during the pandemic now regret it.”
Impulse decisions and the Bible
But the rash of resignations and the regrets that follow are simply one version of what happens when we make impulsive decisions. What does the Bible teach that, from a uniquely Christian perspective, can help us avoid such remorse?
I want to offer three biblical principles to help you avoid rash decisions. But first—a story.
Those pesky, insolent apostles
The Book of Acts records the explosive growth of Christianity, including the ways that the new Christians rankled the religious leaders and collided with the status quo. In the first five chapters, Peter, John, and their friends are in and out of jail a couple of times, warned, chastised, and threatened for preaching and healing people in the name of Jesus.
And then they do it again.
So they are arrested. Again. But this time an angel frees them during the night, and they return to teaching in the name of Jesus. They are arrested. Again.
Guards haul the disciples “before the Sanhedrin,” the ruling judicial body of the Jews, where the High Priest says, “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach” in the name of Jesus?
Peter and the other apostles boldly defend their obedience to God and the message they are preaching. The Sanhedrin are enraged by this, and the Bible says they all “wanted to kill the apostles” for their insolence (Acts 5:17-33).
All of them, that is, except a man named Gamaliel.
The smartest man in the room
Gamaliel was a well-respected Jewish teacher. In fact, he influenced another famous teacher, Saul of Tarsus (Acts 22:3).
The Bible says Gamaliel “stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered the [disciples] to be taken outside for a little while.” Then he cautioned his friends, the Sanhedrin. “Men of Israel, be careful about what you’re about to do to these men” (5:34-35).
Don’t act rashly. You might regret it. Why?
Gamaliel reminded his colleagues that crowds tend to follow agitators, those charismatic upstarts who can stir up a crowd but eventually lead to nothing. So, he said, leave it alone and if it is not a movement of God, it will likely just fizzle out.
But, he advised, if in fact God is behind it, “you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even be found fighting against God” (5:39). And nobody wants that.
So, either way, don’t act rashly. It won’t end well.
Three biblical principles
So, if you are fed up and thinking about a change, ask these three questions before you make a rash decision you just might regret.
- Am I paying attention to what God is doing?
Gamaliel’s primary point is simple, but it requires a faith-based perspective. If your decision is contrary to God’s will, it won’t end well.
God has plans, and you don’t want to make rash decisions that subvert, overlook, or ignore those plans (James 4:13-17).
God acts intentionally (John 5:19). He is never playing catch-up, never caught off guard, and never surprised by the circumstances. He knows what is happening to you and around you, and He can use that for His purposes (Rom. 8:28). God’s strategy is to put you where He wants you to be.
Be patient. Keep the long look in mind. Rash decisions usually result from stunted faith, the notion that what you see is all there is. But when you trust God for what we cannot see, you will avoid such rash decisions (Heb. 11:1-2).
So, before you make a life-altering decision, make sure you can see God putting the pieces together. Is this His timing? Does this decision align with His character? Will this decision foster what He is already doing in your life?
- Am I letting my emotions get the best of me?
Gamaliel wisely lectures his friends to calm down. His colleagues were about to make the worst decision of their lives driven by anger. And it had not even occurred to them that their anger might put them at odds with the God they claimed to know and worship!
Emotions often motivate rash decisions. Anger, disappointment, bitterness. You name it. And those are the decisions we tend to regret the most (Prov. 29:11, 15:18).
Maybe today you hate your job. Don’t make your decision while you are angry. Settle down, form a plan, and let God direct your steps.
- Am I letting my pride dictate my decision?
The Jews entrusted a staggering amount of judicial authority to the Sanhedrin. But that authority had gone to their heads. Now they were simply angry that anyone dare disobey their directives, even if God was blessing the apostles.
If we feel slighted or unappreciated or ignored, it hurts. But that’s pride speaking. Be sure you can separate the truth from your pride.
The Bible says that a prideful person refuses God’s authority in their lives. Decisions grounded in pride never honor God, so God doesn’t honor that person’s decisions. In fact, rather than set up long-term success, such decisions might produce a destructive outcome (Prov. 16:18).
Far from blessing decisions motivated by pride, God actually opposes such decisions (James 4:6)!
One more thing
What if you have already made that rash decision, and you are smothered in regret?
God is still God, and God is always good (James 1:17). He has a plan. And He can use you right where you are until He decides to move you.
So surrender to Him, let your regrets fade into the past, and watch what He will do.
Remember, it’s what you do next that matters.
For I know the plans I have for you—this is the Lord’s declaration—plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope
Jeremiah 29:11