Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Extreme dilemmas are usually solved by radical adjustments. It used to be called “fighting fire with fire.” Minor alterations won’t do. If the situation is getting completely out of hand, a slight modification won’t cut it. It’s get-with-it time.

• If the tumor is the size of a grapefruit, taking a handful of vitamins three times a week isn’t the answer.
• If the foundation has shifted so much that the walls are cracking and the windows won’t close, the place needs more than a paint job.
• If the ship is sinking and the storm is getting stronger, it’s time to do something much more decisive than dialogue.
• If the church is emptying because needs are going unmet, singing hymns and preaching longer sermons won’t do the trick.
• If the family isn’t talking, serving more meals is hardly the way to turn things around.

The most radical alternative may sometimes be the most practical. These will not be the most popular or enjoyable decisions . . . or the most diplomatic.

Radical adjustments make waves, not friends. Heads sometimes roll and hearts often break. The uninvolved public seldom understands or agrees, especially at the outset. But the strange thing is that radical adjustments, more often than not, make pretty good sense when reconsidered through the rearview mirror. After the fact, stone-throwing critics ultimately nod their approval . . . calling the decision “courageous” or even “visionary.” What the critics usually overlook is just how painful the drastic decision really was.

Are you facing dire circumstances today? Are you paralyzed with fear as you consider a radical adjustment that God wants you to make? You’re not alone. Tomorrow I’ll share with you a story of people who encountered an extreme situation in which their only choice was to make a radical adjustment. For now, commit again to the Lord the radical step which you believe He wants you to take. As you do, listen to His words to His servant in Joshua 1:9.