Ah...the splendor and wisdom in this simple thought. Every day I have a choice, many actually. The choices I make each day steer my life in a specific direction, even alter my existence in some way.
It may not be discernable…immediately, but it does occur, the shaping and reshaping of our life, our journey. We recognize the obvious, i.e. the people we choose to interact with and their impact on our life. The people we reject or shun either openly or less openly, also alter our journey, or what it could have been.
The less obvious include our schedule and how we fill it, our words and how we use them, even in our thoughts and whether we capture or release them…all of these are choices being made all day long…all LIFE long.
We are typically taught from an early age to make “good choices”, the problem sometimes is more about measuring good versus bad, and the consequences of each. Sometimes the consequences of “good” take a bit longer to see, making those choices even harder. (Think studying = good grades or diet/exercise = acceptable swimsuit season…long-term payoff).
I know for me, I tend to seek IMMEDIATE gratification and payoff. The good taste from eating chocolate could, for example (and often does) deter the good from my diet and exercise plans. The same applies for bad choices. If I overeat only once, I feel a bit uncomfortable for awhile but no long term effects…but if I continue to do that…eventually we’re shopping for a whole new wardrobe…not a good choice!
I use food as an example because obviously that’s an ongoing struggle for me, but the same applies for school, conversation, personal interaction, every crossroad we approach a choice must be made.
In my daily calendar I ran across a quote that prompted this writing, I’ll share it now and let you ponder it a bit as well:
“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” --William Jennings Bryan
This quote was made MUCH clearer by a Max Lucado Easter card I received in the mail yesterday, which simply said:
“God would rather die for you than live without you.”
Remember life is about choices, choose well…
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5 comments:
Good stuff! Once again you challenge my thinking.
You have no idea how I needed to remember my choices help my actions which where I am now will me make changes and a difference. Thank YOU!
Outstanding post! I hear you! Great blog! Great post!
Diane
Amen Sister! It would be great if we could imprint this message in todays youth, but as I remember, you just don't believe there are any consequences at that age. Unfortunately, many kids will have to live with consequences from the choices they are making today, many years in the future.
This is so true... and when I worked with youth, I tried so hard to get them to understand this...
The Voice -- remember the old saying ... ten feet tall and bullet proof? That's a youth's mantra. They live by that mentality, and have no idea what the lasting impact or ramifications of some of their bad choices will be in future years.
Excellent post!
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