Yesterday I managed finally to perform a classic of modern living. I have not really been able to perform it fully until now. I have occasionally managed a smidgeon of the act but have somehow always managed to catch myself and pull back from the brink. Yesterday I indulged fully.

I spilt a mug of coffee on my computer keyboard. It’s not the one that’s on the laptop but a lovely wireless one that is full-sized and sits on my desk to enable me to work more ergonomically. I had just made myself a lovely cup of coffee and placed it on my desk near the keyboard and then was distracted by something on my right. I turned to deal with it and as I turned back to the keyboard and screen caught the mug full on with my left elbow. Cue the deluge.

I called for help and my wife came running, armed with cloths to mop up. We did a fair job of limiting the flow of the coffee to the keyboard and its immediate vicinity. Thankfully nothing else was baptised by the coffee and after the diligent application of tea towels, paper towels and other drying implements I thought I had salvaged the keyboard too. It seemed to work okay.

But within a few minutes it started becoming unresponsive in different areas. Some of the keys stubbornly refused to tell the computer that they were being pressed. Others decided to disguise themselves by telling the computer than another key altogether was being pressed. And slowly it dawned on me that the keyboard was dead.

The problem is that I use the keyboard all the time when I am at my desk so from the moment when I admitted defeat and allowed the old keyboard a dignified end I realised that there was an urgency for a replacement. I know that there are some online companies that promise next day delivery and I am subscribed to the South American river service. But in order to qualify I needed to order within a short space of time.

So began the hurried yet diligent search for a replacement. I did not want to make a hasty decision I would regret, but I did want it to arrive today so could not afford to take too much time over the decision. I narrowed down the search by focusing on the keyboards that had the highest rating by purchasers and limiting the price range (you can get some REALLY expensive keyboards!). In the end I chose a keyboard that seemed to tick all of the boxes for my needs, and which was reasonably priced. It wasn’t a premium brand, but came very well recommended.

And it arrived today. I am using it now. And it feels good to type on. It does have ‘light up’ keys that change colour all the time but given that most of the time I don’t look at the keyrfohgs keyboard when I type (ooh, get me!) it doesn’t bother me, and there is the facility to turn that off if I want. It is connected to my computer via a usb cable rather than being wireless, but that’s not a problem (and means that the money goes on the keyboard quality not the bluetooth / wireless link).

So why am I telling you this boring tale, other then as an exercise to test the keyboard? (it’s more productive than typing ‘hello’ into my wordprocessor) Well, it’s the whole thing about having to make urgent and important decisions. When we can take our time, pray (even people without faith sometimes do that), consult other people and listen to their advice, weigh up the options and come to a wise conclusion then decision-making can be a blessing. Of course, if it’s a corporate decision in a church, a business or another organisation there is also a need to ensure that the ‘stakeholders’ are involved in the process of consultation, praying, listening, weighing-up and wise-concluding, which also takes time.

But there are times when we have to make an important decision quickly. I was with a church leadership team recently where this had been the case and they were reviewing what had happened and why some people had struggled with the process (but not the outcome). I suggested a couple of principles that may help:

First, break it down into bite-sized chunks. If there is important information to be communicated then make sure that it’s shared in a way that everyone can understand. For example, if a decision has to be made about buying something expensive but urgently needed explain – why there is a need, why it’s urgent, the options that have been explored, and the potential cost. If you present it all as one item you will lose people (or yourself) along the way. I needed a keyboard and set some parameters around the purchase to help me decide what to get (cost, rating, not bothered about brand).

Second, make the decision as small as possible and allow time for the rest to be decided later. For example, your car may need some work to get through the MOT (a car roadworthiness test) today and the garage may also suggest other work that could be done which is not urgent. If you’re unsure, get them to do the minimum work needed to get through the MOT and say that you’ll have a think about the rest. You don’t need to get all of the work done urgently so if you isolate what is urgent and focus on that you may well find that it makes the decision easier. For me the question was simple – I needed to get a keyboard that would be delivered today.

And finally realise that there are very few decisions that will be catastrophic if you get them wrong. Of course we want to make wise, sensible and correct decisions but most of them can be rectified. The process of putting it right may not be easy and may cost a bit more in time, effort and money, but there are not many issues that cannot be resolved. I may regret buying this particular keyboard and may have to buy another one, but for the time being it works, it does what I want (and it has pretty lights).

Be blessed, be a blessing