Prepared by Prof. Edgar Tuballa

1. How Do I Make Good Decisions?
“Christ, Our Companion at Life’s Crossroads”

3. HOW DO WE MAKE GOOD DECISIONS?
* * *

4. Seven Waves Away/Abandon Ship (1957)

5. • After their luxury liner is sunk, a group of over twenty
survivors take refuge in a life boat made for only nine.
Included in the group are an old opera singer, a nuclear
physicist, his wife and child, a General, a play-write and
his dog, a college professor, a gambler and his mistress,
the ship's nurse, and several members of the crew,
including the Captain and executive officer. Soon, the
captain dies from his injuries. The executive officer
must take charge, and as a hurricane approaches, and
their food and water run out, he must decide who to
put over the side, and who stays and gets a chance at
survival.

6. Franz Jaggerstatter

7. Before I decide on something,
I make sure that…
1. …
2. …
3. …

8. I make good decision because…
1. …
2. …
3. …

9. I MAKE GOOD JUDGMENTS BECAUSE…
* I analyze the situation first before judging
* I am blessed w/ a good mind and heart
* Of my inspiration in life
* I always have breakfast so that I don’t lack brain
power
* I make good decisions when I am in good mood

10. I MAKE GOOD JUDGMENTS BECAUSE…
• I love myself
• I think of the consequences before I act
• I respect the welfare of my neighbor
• I consider my reference to the Bible
• I am concentrating my mind before I do something
• If the time will come that my decision is not that
good, no one will be blamed but me
• I think of what is good

11. I MAKE GOOD JUDGMENTS BECAUSE…
• I keep in mind that everyone is affected by decisions
I choose
• I ask advice from other people
• I am thinking of what the output will be
• It will improve my social life as well
• I am sure of it
• It will take me to my real mission/ or my purpose
• So people will have a positive outlook on me

12. Poor ways of making moral decisions
“Tossed coin”
decisions:
based on
chance,
external
events, or
circumstances

13. Poor ways of making moral decisions
• “Biased”
decisions:
decide based
only on one’s
injustice without
regard for others
or community
norms

14. Poor ways of making moral decisions
• “Social mirror”
decisions: putting
too much
emphasis on what
others say without
considering one’s
emotion or
conscience

15. What are the things you consider
when you make decisions?

16. Things to Consider
• Courage to choose what is good
• Follow the concrete good that our consciences
discern
• Educate or Form our consciences
• The need to make holistic decisions
• Take into account what experience has shown us
• Decisions that recognizes our being true Filipino
Christian persons-in-community

17. • SEARCH out the facts
• THINK about the
alternatives and
consequences
• OTHERS, How do our
actions affect them
and have we consulted
them?
• PRAY

18. SEARCH out the facts
INVESTIGATE the facts. We need to discern
accurately three elements of every moral acts
(1) nature of the act,
(2) intention of the person and
(3) the circumstances of the act.

19. INQUIRE about moral norms affecting your
decisions.

20. IMAGINE consequences and alternatives.
THINK
about the alternatives and consequences

21. INTROSPECT
We need to understand
the value of our
emotions by
considering others
and consulting others
OTHERS

22. IMPLEMENT one’s decisions.
One must have the courage and resolve to do
what one has decided upon.

23. IMPLORE God’s help in prayer.
We ought to seek God’s guidance in prayer
before, during and after making our moral
decisions.
PRAY

24. Sirach 15: 14-17
• God in the beginning created human beings
and made them subject to their own free choice.
• If you choose, you can keep the commandments;
loyalty is doing the will of God.
• Set before you are fire and water;
to whatever you choose, stretch out your hand.
• Before everyone are life and death,
whichever they choose will be given them.

25. Sirach 15: 14-17
We are called to
develop the
“spontaneous” habit
of checking on
Christ’s example and
teachings.

27. • What would Jesus do?" (often abbreviated to
WWJD) became popular in the United States
in the 1890s and again in 1990s as a personal
motto for thousands of Christians
• Used the phrase as a reminder of their belief
that Jesus is the example to be followed in
daily life, and to act in a manner of which
Jesus would approve.
WWJD

28. • The initials WWJD is sometimes used by
Christians to mean "Walk with Jesus daily".
Many Christians still use this phrase today,
especially with young children.

29. Do your best, God will do the rest.
Making actual moral
decisions is grounded on
both our human nature
and God’s grace.
By human nature, we posses
intellect and free will and
by grace, we are
strengthened, empowered
by the Holy Spirit.

30. Conclusion
• We naturally turn to the
example and empowering
grace of Christ who was
similarly confronted with
difficult crossroads in his
life, but in all cases was
guided by his love for God
and others.