The Wrong Will Fail, The Right Prevail

during the past few days, i've been confronted with several situations in which i've had to make decisions that i know are the right ones but, in so doing, i know that others will experience suffering because of my decisions.  when i look at a situation with the knowledge that i must be the one who weighs the options and who chooses the option that is most fair and reasonable, it is difficult to make that choice, knowing that others will disagree and that someone will experience suffering because of my choice.

am i responsible for the suffering of those who prefer to let wrong continue because failing to take action is the easier path?  have i done a service to others when i permit wrong actions which in the long term will be injurious to continue unchallenged?  doing the right thing is not always easy, especially when one must confront the wrong actions of others in order to do the right thing.  it is easier to avoid the moment when a decision must be carried out and wrong actions must be confronted, but in the end no one is well served if that decision is never made, wrong actions are never confronted.

as i've faced these hard choices, i've tried to look at the ways in which my decisions will be helpful to those who must be confronted, even though suffering will be the immediate result.  i've tried to explore ways to help those who will suffer look at the ultimate benefits of the change of course that must be made in order to do what's right.  we are confronted with these moral dilemmas every day.  sometimes, there are choices we must make about our own actions, and we know in choosing the right path we will experience pain in the present as we move toward the better outcome.

my prayer for each of us this day is that we will not shirk our responsibility to do what is right, that we will make wise choices even when those choices are painful, and that our choices will be made with fairness, reasonableness, and love.  shalom.