4 MISTAKES IN DEALING WITH PROBLEMS
Genesis 16:1-16
INTRODUCTION:
According to management expert Peter Drucker, managers do not generally spend a great deal of time making decisions. Decision making is, however, the task that has the most far-reaching consequences. It’s imperative that managers recognize decision-making mistakes. Eight of the most common errors follow.
Mistake #1: Failure to Recognize a Problem
Managers usually operate on a frantic day-to-day basis without recognizing a problem that’s before their noses. They seem resigned that things are the way they are because of the “system,” and someone else must take action. When schedules present obstacles, or operations aren’t running according to plan, a manager should suspect that a problem exists. They should act to solve the problem. Frequently, managers don’t recognize the problem as their responsibility due to lack of experience, or that they recognize the problem carries with it the obligation to do something. Therefore, no recognition equates to no responsibility.
Mistake #2: Incorrect Problem Identification
Identifying the problem is the next step in effective decision making. This step is also the most difficult because the more obvious consequences from a problem are often mistaken for the actual problem. Managers usually pay most attention to obvious irritations. With their time pressures, they are less likely to dwell on what’s behind a problem. Other factors that keep from identifying the main problem include inaccurate perceptions and lack of experience. A decision that fails to deal with the real problem is, in effect, a bad decision because it will most likely produce an unsatisfactory solution. It will also result in further decisions having to be made to solve the problem.
Mistake #3: Insufficient Consideration of Alternatives
For any problem, there are usually a number of alternative solutions. Failure to think through the alternatives exposes a manager to the risk of overlooking the best decision. Therefore, it’s essential that a manager should generate ideas--think outside the box--and also consider possible repercussions from each alternative. Investigate beyond the obvious. Reasons for not thinking through alternatives range from the pressures of time to misperceptions. Decisions, when alternatives aren’t carefully considered, won’t be as effective as they should be and, more than likely, will result in someone else having to make another decision at a later time.
Mistake #4: Inadequate Evaluation of Risk
Every decision should be evaluated in terms of costs and benefits, or in terms of the risks involved and the results to be obtained. Failure to do so often produces high cost, complex solutions where the payoff is minimal. Managers can avoid some risk by seeking lower-risk solutions, reducing risk by training employees, or insuring against risk through insurance or hedging. If the decision maker evaluates risk systematically, there’s a good chance that the decision will be a good one.
Mistake #5: Repetitive Decisions
Many managers handle the same problem over and over, making decisions in each instance on a case-by-case basis. Recurring problems can be more efficiently and effectively resolved through the development of policies, procedures, rules, regulations and the like. If a manager lacks authority to initiate plans of this nature, he or she should refer the recurrent problem to those who can develop such plans. Situations which cause recurring problems will not, in most cases, go away. Thus, continuing to treat the problem on a case-by-case basis is ineffective and inefficient management.
Mistake #6: Unnecessary Decisions
“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” is an old saying that offers sound advice. Occasionally, the problem confronting a manager is of such a nature that the best action is to do nothing, to simply watch and wait. While few problems are likely to improve on their own, there’s always the possibility that they will not further deteriorate. To take action may only subject a manager to unnecessary risk--risk that could be avoided through “action in inaction.” When the no-action approach is used, a manager must continue to observe the situation and take action if it is merited.
Mistake #7: Delayed Decisions
There’s no evidence to support the contention that decisions improve with age, that the longer a decision is put off, the higher the quality of the eventual decision. On the other hand, fast--but not snap--decisions have at least two advantages. First, an expeditious decision gives a manager more time to correct a situation should the original decision prove to be wrong. Second, a quick decision allows a manager to move on to other problem areas.
Mistake #8: Lack of Follow-up
Each implementation should be followed through to see if it is producing the expected result. Not every decision is going to be as effective as first believed. Consequently, a manager must always monitor the situation to determine if things are working according to plan. Many times, decision makers are so relieved to have made a decision, that they wish to forget it, and go on to other things; hence, they neglect effective follow through.
When a manager makes a “good” decision, it often seems that few people notice; on the other hand, a “bad” decision may be remembered years later. Lunch-time tales frequently include someone’s poor decision. And such tales may continue, even years after the individual has left. Few managers, and their organizations, can tolerate such fame. Therefore, it’s essential that you maximize your good, and minimize your poor, decisions.
Now, lets study our text today.
How many of you have ever made an important decision without first consulting the Lord? How many of you think that this happens a lot in our society?
I do, too. It’s because I am action man. I always have actions before I pray…And it’s only after the problems start popping up that I begin to say to myself, "It’s my fault! I should have prayed to the Lord about this a lot sooner. I shouldn’t have been so quick to take matters into my own hands."
I believe that this is exactly where Abram and Sarai went wrong in Genesis 16. This morning we want to see Abraham, Sarah’s, and Hagar’s mistakes in dealing with problems. I know, we too have the same mistakes in life…
MISTAKE #1: WE THOUGHT OUR PROBLEM IS TOO HARD (1-2)
The first mistake that they made was that they thought that their problem is too big. In other words they decided that it would be better if they try to help God out.
This couple knew that Sarah was barren and they need ideas to support God’s plan to help them have a son.
Remember Sarah laugh when God announced that she will bear a son...
“H. G. Spafford was a businessman in Chicago. He was a dedicated Christian. [There were times in his life when the wisdom he followed was earthly, unspiritual, and subject to the enemy’s schemes]. He had some serious financial reversals, and during the time of readjustment, he lost his home.”
He realized his family needed to get away for a vacation. Spafford decided to take his entire family to England. He sent his wife and four daughters ahead . . . In midocean the French steamer carrying his loved ones collided with another and sank within twelve minutes; 230 people lost their lives. The four daughters were drowned, but Mrs. Spafford was rescued. She wired her husband, “Saved alone.”
“Mr. Spafford was [understandably] almost overcome with grief. He had lost his property, his four precious daughters were buried beneath the dark waves of the sea, and his wife was prostrate with grief on the other side of the world. [Spafford could have relied on earthly wisdom and turned his grief into bitterness. He could have tried to get his pound of flesh from the French steamer company by filing lawsuits. He could have justified in his own mind being angry with God and the world, and shaking his fist at the One who allowed his earthly life to seemingly be destroyed]. Instead, he put all his trust in God and wrote a song that has comforted thousands since that time”:
“When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea-billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
‘It is well, it is well with my soul’”
Cell Text: "The power of God within you is greater than the pressures around you."
“A RIGHTEOUS MAN MAY HAVE MANY TROUBLE, BUT THE LORD DELIVERS HIM FROM THEM ALL” Psalms 34:19
MISTAKE #2: WE THOUGH OUR GOD IS TOO SLOW (3-4)
§ It is normal for the person facing problems to solve them immediately. No person wanted to stay longer with the problems.
§ So our tendency is to command God to make it hurry.
§ And we think that God’s delay means He is unconcern. And we don’t want to consider anymore the timing of God.
§ Here Sarah and Abraham were getting frustrated waiting for the promise of God to give them a child. So they said, “Well if God isn’t going to work then we might as well go to plan B.”
The great New England preacher Phillips Brooks was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him pacing the floor like a caged lion. "What’s the trouble, Dr. Brooks?" asked the friend. "The trouble is that I am in a hurry, but God isn’t."
Haven’t we often felt the same?
Brooks was also quoted as saying "The hardest task in my life is to sit down and wait for God to catch up with me."
Illustration
There is the story of John Claypool who in his book tells of his young daughter who was diagnosed with Leukemia and was in a tremendous amount of pain. One night in the hospital she asked him, “Daddy, when will my pain go away.” And John said, “Honey, we’re doing everything we can to get rid of it.” And his daughter asked, “Daddy have you asked God when my leukemia will go away. Have you asked him daddy? What did God say?”
And Claypool writes that he didn’t know what to say to her. “What do you say to a little girl when God seems as if he is not listening. What do you say,” he writes, “when the heavens seem silent.”
Some of the hardest things to handle are the times in our lives when God seems like he is a million miles away and is not answering our prayers. God promised in his word to always be there but it seems as if he giving us the silent treatment. Where are you God when I hurt? Job wrote in the Old Testament, ‘I go east, but he is not there. I go west but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north for he is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find him.” (Job 23:8).
Some of you here this morning have been waiting on God for a long time. You’ve been waiting on Him for a better job. For better health. For a better marriage. Or maybe like Sarai, you’ve been wanting to have a child of your own. And it’s just not happening.
It’s not easy to wait. I understand that some of you had to wait a long time to have a boyfriend. Some of you waited a long to have a job and you STILL weren’t able to get them. And you feel disappointed, I don’t blame you! I probably would have felt the same way!
But God has its own better time to us.
Cell Text: "God operates on a perfectly designed timeline. He knows what you need and when to provide it."
§ Abraham here rush ahead of God and missed out the blessings that He wants for him.
Result: In the end, no one was happy. There are mistakes would have lasting consequences.
§ Verses 4-6 is the first consequence faced Hagar was fighting with Sarah and there were all kinds of jealousy and envy going on.
§ Verses 10-12. Here Hagar’s son, Ishmael is described. Now if you ever wonder the consequences that your actions might have you need to remember these verses. Now it might have seemed like a good idea for Abraham to have a son by Hagar, after all Sarah was too old, but they didn’t look ahead. Now I am not sure if any of you have ever heard on the news about conflict between Israeli’s and Arabs. It is occasionally on the news ever heard of it? This is where it started! Ishmael would be the father of a great nation and that would be those Arab nations who are constantly opposing Israel.
Remember that even though God forgives us when we sin. Even though Abraham was forgiven for this mistake that he made, it doesn’t deny the fact that the consequences don’t go away.
Considers these verse in the book of Psalms about waiting.Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psalm 38:15 “I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.” Psalm 130:5, “I wait for the LORD , my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
MISTAKE #3: WE THOUGHT OUR ACTION IS TOO BAD (5)
In verse 5, Sarai takes it out on Abram and says, "This is all your fault! I let you sleep with my maidservant. And now she hates me. You are responsible!
The third mistake that they made was that they blamed each other. Thinking it would free them from responsibility.
§ This has to be one of the most difficult struggles to overcome in the midst of conflict. Sarah put the blame to Abram for his fault. And Hagar is mad at Sarah and vice versa to shift blame onto others.
§ The problem with this is that it rarely solves problems.
§ How many times has it been helpful to you when you have been able to say it’s his fault or it’s her fault and justify or rationalize it in your mind. When arguments set to level of only trying to figure out who is right and who is wrong then probably everyone has lost.
How easy it is to try and find fault with others to shift the blame completely from yourself.
In that sense, this is like a repeat of the Garden of Eden story.
Someone has said: “PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT TO FIND FAULT SELDOM FIND ANYTHING ELSE”
MISTAKE #4: WE THOUGHT OUR STRENGTH IS TOO WEAK (6)
The fourth mistake here is the decision made by Hagar to escape the problem because she thought her strength is not enough to stay and solve the problem.
§ She thought that running away with the problem was a good idea. Sarah has mistreated Hagar and as a result Hagar has skipped town.
Now you notice that Abraham doesn’t send a search committee out to find Hagar, and Sarah wasn’t pleading for Abraham to send out people to find Hagar. Now it wasn’t that Abraham didn’t have people around to help. Remember when Lot was in trouble, Abraham got his people together. With this case, it seems that Abraham, Sarah and Hagar have the same idea to solve the problem.
ILLUSTRATION
The story is told of two hunters who came across a bear so big that they dropped their rifles and ran for cover. One man climbed a tree while the other hid in a nearby cave. The bear sat down between the tree and the cave. Suddenly, the hunter in the cave came rushing out, almost ran into the waiting bear, hesitated, and dashed back in. The same thing happened a second time. When he emerged the third time, his friend frantically called out, "Woody, are you crazy? Stay in the cave till he leaves!" "Can’t," panted Woody. "There’s another bear in there."
§ Running away doesn’t solve problems. Whenever we run away from problems we must remember that we will often face very similar problems.
Look carefully the story: Hagar saw the Lord in the road and instructed her to comeback. YOU SEE. Running away doesn’t solve any problem.
§ People say this today in so many ways. People feel that if situations aren’t going great in their lives then to run away from them will help you out. People who say marriages are getting to difficult run away, people who have a disagreement with a friend feel the best way to solve the problem is to just not call the friend or deal with the disagreement. Running away from problems doesn’t solve anything.
CONCLUSION:
Again we come to the end of our account. We noted here that God in verses 13-14 is still there watching (with hagar)and ready to pick her up.
Brethren, you never know how God is sketching his plans and his will in your life. He is behind the scenes making it all work out for good. And we just have to trust he knows what he is doing even when he is silent.
These words were found on a wall in Cologne Germany were Jews had been hiding from the Nazi’s. “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I don’t feel it. And I believe in God even when he is silent.”
You know what happened to Sarah? God worked it out for her good. She eventually gave birth to a son. A wonderful son named Isaac whom she and her husband Abraham would love. Isaac would be a main character in the Bible and a man of God.
You see Sarah, God did have a plan for you. He was watching over you all the time. His promises are true. If you would’ve only waited until the right time.
God has a plan for each of us. He loves us, the question is do we love him and are we going to trust?
