Breaking Bad - Decisions
In writing, progressive complications are obstacles that grow increasingly challenging, intense, or costly for a protagonist to deal with over time. Authors and readers get excited over progressive complications in novels. No one is typically cheering for them in life.
For example: Jane stayed up too late the night before work. She hit the snooze button and woke up late. Jane rushes to get dressed and spills coffee on her trousers. Dashing into work all frazzled, she snaps at a coworker. The coworker gives her the cold shoulder and doesn’t bother to remind her to bring her charger for the big presentation meeting. Her customers are unimpressed when her computer and presentation die, and she scrambles to do the pitch from memory. A deal isn’t made, and now her boss is angry, and her job is at risk. If only she’d gone to bed earlier.
What can seem like a small, insignificant decision can mount into a big disaster.
King David dealt with his own progressive complications. The life of a king is busy, especially when you have children, and David had at least twenty. Yet, it wasn’t the decisions that he made to handle his enemies that almost took down his kingdom. It was his not dealing with a parent discipline issue.
In 2 Samuel, David’s eldest son Amnon had a lustful obsession with his half-sister Tamar and raped her. When King David learned what had happened, he was furious but neglected to discipline Amnon. Absalom, David’s second son and Tamar’s full brother, seethed over the injustice done to his disgraced sister and the fact that Amnon suffered no consequences. For two years, his hatred grew until Absalom had Amnon killed.
Absalom then fled, fearing his father’s wrath for killing the firstborn son. King David mourned Amnon. Verse 13:39 states, “King David longed to go to Absalom,” but for three years King David didn’t act on his feelings until Joab, David’s army commander, brought a wise woman from Tekoa to convince David to bring Absalom back home. Absalom wanted to be reunited with his father, but he still faced rejection when he came home. King David waited another two years before calling Absalom to meet with him. A bitter root of abandonment and rejection grew in Absalom’s heart.
King David caused the problems to fester by ignoring his children’s issues. Absalom spoke to the Israelites and criticized his father’s rule, turning the people’s hearts toward him. He had secret messengers spread throughout Jerusalem announce that Absalom had taken the throne. When King David heard about the coup, he fled with his household.
Absalom and David’s armies clashed, and King David was able to regain his kingdom, but at the loss of Absalom’s life.
My heart breaks for David, who mourned the deaths of two of his sons. Could all of this have been prevented if King David had disciplined Amnon for his evil deed? Perhaps, but only God knows for certain.
Genesis 4:7 states, “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
So how do we stop progressive complications from compiling our lives into a wretched fate? Here are some things we can learn from King David:
Play the decision out to its worst-case scenario. Envision the consequences, and you could lose. Remember, it’s not: Can I do it? It’s: Should I do it?
Try not to make decisions overtired, stressed, hungry, or busy. We don’t make the best decisions at our weakest moments.
Don’t ignore or put off problems for long. They will only fester.
Be quick to repent. Repent means to change direction. It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing.
Christianity doesn’t just want us to do right. It desires to make us righteous. We are constantly changing, but it’s up to us to choose whether to follow our fleshly desires or listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” - 2 Corinthians 3:17-18