Decisions, decisions, decisions. A day won't be complete with making a decision. What to wear, what to eat, where to go on weekend, etc. Sometimes, making a decision is easy. Other times you have to delay, such as when you have to wait for another person's action.
Take for example checking of students' assignments. Usually, when a student has missed out something like a completed table of results (from an experiment), I will try to get hold of them to give me the missing requirement. I feel it would be unfair if I penalize them straightaway for what might be a minor requirement. Generally, when tracked down, students oblige.
However, college is on Easter break these past two weeks!
As I look at the enormous pile on my desk and the certain impossibility to chase up students, I have to put my foot down. I proceeded to mark the assignments as they are presented. For some, I felt good because the students have understood and provided what was required of them. For some, I felt bad because the work wasn't up to standards. Feelings aside, at the end of the day, students have to be assessed based of the quality of their work. At the end of the day, the job has to be done.
This hold true too for an editor. Some articles may have been submitted on time, others past the deadline, still others not submitted at all. There are also articles which may need minor cosmetics or major surgery. At the end of the day, articles have to be vetted. At the end of the day, worthwhile ones have to be published.
Putting one's foot down can sometimes be difficult, especially if you are the type of person who wishes to please everyone. In reality, we cannot please everyone. We cannot always please our kids, our students, our colleagues, etc. Putting one's foot down can cause some angst, but it is only temporary. It is actually liberating!
Recently, we just called to mind how one man put His foot down to save us all from sin. By asserting His love for all people, He stirred the hornet's nest among the powerful and influential in Israel and died on the cross to reconcile us with the Father. By taking a firm stand, He crushed the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15). Next time we are tempted to dilly-dally, let us think of Him and ask for the grace to become more assertive as individuals, as a people, as His followers.
