Choices

I have had a yearning to write for years, but I am just now getting into the groove. I have decided to begin by sharing spiritual insights that I have learned or things that I have contemplated through my life experiences so that maybe I can help someone else in this journey of life. Ultimately, in all things, our goal is to become more like Christ. We go through things in life to teach us and to mold our characters. We can choose to learn from them or foolishly disregard the wisdom that comes with life's lessons. We are not in this just to gratify our selfish desires, but each one of us has a Divine purpose for our lives. And, the process of watching it unfold is quite exciting!

Today, the thought that is filling my mind is how crucial our choices in life are. The first thoughts that come to mind concerning making life choices are often things like what career to choose, where to go to school, where to live, whom to marry, etc. You know - the big ones! It is exciting when we are young and have our whole lives before us, and we aren't afraid to dream big! However, things don't alway go the way we planned, and we can easily become jaded in life. We often wonder at that point, "What's in it for me?" Life then becomes a process of surviving circumstances that we don't always like or understand but that come to mold our character and to make us stronger. It is wonderful once we have finally gotten to the point of placing our trust in God and being able to say honestly, "I'll go whereever You want me to go, and I'll do whatever You want me to do." It is so exciting when we feel that God's will is leading us to do something magnificent with ourlives, but it is not always as easy to accept the mundane! Hopefully, we will eventually come to a point in which we have learned how important it is to say "yes" to God when it concerns all of life's major decisions, and we realize that the only way life could possibly be fulfilling is to live one that is in line with God's perfect will.

Here is where the rubber meets the road, however. The really significant decisions aren't necessarily the big ones. Some of the most important decisions of our lives are the small daily choices we make. For example, are we going to discipline ourselves to spend quality time with the Lord daily, so that we can receive His wisdom and strength? Or are we going to allow ourselves to tune Him out and try to do all of this on our own? Will we do our very best work and build a positive reputation, or will we be slovenly and ruin future opportunities for promotion? Will we choose to exercise today and eat something healthy, or are we going to allow ourselves to become weak and to fuel our food addictions? We sure know where that leads! Will we take a moment to encourage someone and build that relationship, or are we content to keep to ourselves and eventually complain about being lonely? Am I committed enough to living a positive life that I am willing to reinforce the habit of keeping my environment neat and organized? Or, will I choose the stress of a sloppy and disorderly home? Don't I deserve to live in a comfortable and peaceful place? Does that really mean I have to exert some effort to make that hppen?

Each of these choices leads to an eventual consequence. We can't just do what we feel like doing and leave everything up to chance. It doesn't work that way. Are we willing to make small sacrifices now so that we will reap the benefits later? Or, are we going to gratify our flesh now and pay a severe price later? There is no escaping that! If we really want to live purposeful and effectove lives, we must choose daily which habits we are going to feed. Our choices turn into habits, and our habits create our future. It takes a bit of discipline. Ouch, did I say the "d" word?

Therefore, life is built upon the small choices, like small bricks that are laid one at a time to build an impressive building. What will you choose today? Don't be fooled. Every choice is accompanied by a consequence, good or bad. Every action you choose sets you on a path. Where is it leading? You are who you are and where you are because of your choices. If you don't like who you are or where you are going, make different choices today, and start with the small daily ones. These will eventually become the major life decisions that will set you on a course of success or destruction. It's up to you!

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.Watch your words, for they become actions.Watch your actions, for they become habits.Watch your habits, for they become character.Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

God bless!