GET ALL FACTS BEFORE YOU DECIDE
Facts are every important in any decision making. Facts should not be ignored, because facts mean the state of things as they really are, or reality. However we all need to rely on honest reports as some people with wrong motives can give wrong facts. We cannot plan effectively or function properly without knowing at least some facts.
In our desire to discover the truth the bible teaches us that, we should strive to get all the facts (be quick to listen), listen more than we speak (since we have two ears and one mouth) and reach conclusions only when the facts are in (slow to become angry) – James 1:19
No one, except our heavenly Father, knows all the facts. No one ever started a family, business, or organization by knowing all the facts. It is, however, very important that we get as many facts as possible before we do too much planning. Too many assumptions in our plans will cause us to fail. After we have accumulated sufficient facts, we have a right to assume a few things. We should, however, understand that more facts will come our way, and be ready to make the necessary adjustments to our plans.
Sometimes we confuse the word truth with facts. Although facts are based on certain truths, we may have the facts but may not necessarily have all the truth. So when someone presents us facts, we need to be careful, because these facts may not give us the whole truth or the whole picture. Sometimes sales people will get us focused on certain facts about their product to make the sale, and later we become unhappy about the overall value of the product. Certain facts may be used to deceive us. So truth is the accumulation of all the facts, rather than certain facts. However, facts should never be ignored, for they do lead us to truth.
The Bible verse above teaches us that analysing all the facts is the way to get the whole truth and hence good judgement leading to wise decisions in our lives, families and building our businesses. If you are planning any business, get facts, they will help you make wonderful profits in business. Therefore, weekly fact sheets are very important in our business. These facts should be recaps of things that happened, such as sales for the week, labor cost, and production efficiency. Every business or household should know every week whether they are doing well or poorly, and what progress they are making. Bad news can turn out to be good news because it gives us a chance to make a change for the better. These facts, good or bad, should be visible to us every day, to confront us, force change, and let us know our situation so we can make adjustments. If we don’t have the facts, we may be failing and not know it until it’s too late to recover.
Right now the world and its economies are changing. To ignore these facts and refuse to adjust brings disaster. The Soviet Union ignored the facts, and their nation crumbled. Other nations are also ignoring the facts. Heavy national debts, mismanaged economics, and moral deterioration are facts which cannot be ignored without penalty. Some of these nations should have faced these facts thirty years ago. Failure does not just happen overnight; it comes from ignoring the facts over time. There are three things that will always cause disaster for us:
- Ignorance (unaware).
- Not paying attention to the facts.
- A stubborn heart that refuses to change.
We shouldn’t always embrace and face the facts. They are there to help you, not to hurt you. We shouldn’t be like the man who said, “I have already made up my mind, so don’t confuse me with the facts and.” and later regreted the decision.