Making the tough calls

‘The Lord is on my side; I will not fear...’ Psalm 118:6 NKJV

All the heroes of the Bible were flawed. And personality-wise they were as different as chalk and cheese. But they’d one thing in common: they were willing to make the tough calls. Observe: (1) Tough calls demand risk. When the Soviet Union overran and annexed Latvia in 1940, the US Vice Consul in Riga was concerned that the American Red Cross supplies in that city would be looted. To guard against it he requested permission from the State Department in Washington, DC to place an American flag above the Red Cross to deter anyone from taking the supplies. ‘No precedent exists for such action,’ the Secretary of State’s Office cabled back. When the Vice Consul received the message he climbed up and personally nailed the American flag to the pole, then he cabled the State Department: ‘As of this date, I have established precedent.’ (2) Tough calls require character. Chuck Swindoll writes: ‘Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you’re misunderstood.’ Whether you lead a family, a business or a church, the temptation to complain comes easy. Thank God for the tough times. They’re the reason you’re there-to be the leader. If everything was going well you wouldn’t be needed. When the tough calls must be made, your confidence can be found in these words: ‘The Lord is on my side; I will not fear…’ (Psalm 118:6 NKJV)