Choices

Everyday, we are faced with choices.  Some are easy and do not require much thought.  Some are life changing.  However, there are some things that we approach with the thought that that is how we are or there is nothing I can do about it.  But even deciding not to address something is a choice. 
When we wake up in the morning, we do have to choose to get out of bed, get dressed, eat and to do things throughout the day.  But how do you start your day?  That alone could be the most important decision that you will make.  Will you approach the day with joy and hope or will you choose to face the day with the attitude that it is going to be a bad day, nothing will go right, or with no thought at all on how you will approach your day?

When life happens, and it will, what will you choose?  If you haven't already decided how you will approach your day, you will more easily be caught off guard and not respond in the best way.  I can yell and scream when something bad happens such as a car accident, or I can choose to be at peace knowing that God is with me and He is not caught off guard when it happens.  I know that with Him I can handle anything.  I may not like it and wished that it didn't happen.  I may never know why it had to happen.  Wouldn't it be nice if nothing bad ever happened?  Why didn't I get the promotion, why did I lose my job, why did I have these medical issues?  I tried to do the right thing, I tried to take care of myself and eat right, but I ended up with this problem anyway.  Do I get angry?  Do I take it out on others?  Do I have a pity party?  Why me?  But what if I take a second and remember God's promises, that He would never leave me nor forsake me; that He will never give me more than I can handle, that I can do all things (ALL things) through Christ.  I can then approach the problem with hope and faith.   It doesn't change the facts of what is happening, but it changes me.  

I think sometimes I am better at handling the drastic issues because I know I can't do it without God so I turn to Him quickly.  But what about the little irritants during the day.  A driver cuts me off, I can get upset or I can just let it go.  And if I feel I really have to do something then I can do something positive like praying that they would drive safer.   When I pray for them, I can't continue to be angry.  I notice being negative effects how I view the incidents, the actions of others, and even conversations.  

I would also like to suggest that we do choose to love.  Some may say that it is just a feeling, you either have it or you don't.  But anyone that has been in a relationship for any length of time will know that sometimes it is harder to love the other person than at other times.  They do things that irritate you.  And they can be "unlovable".  But love is not just based on feelings.  I feel like loving you today.  Oh, I don't feel like loving you anymore.  We do hear that relationships take work.  Why would it take work if it was easy?  I propose that when they are unlovable, when they have hurt you, that we need to choose to love them.  We don't give up.  If we base our love on how they act, then our love has become conditional.   And it is not just in the times that they act badly, we also judge them on whether they are acting loving to us.  If they loved me, they would do _____ (fill in the blank).  But the greatest love of all is unconditional love.  Our love should not be based on what the other person does or does not do.  And my being loved is not based on what I do.  It is because of who I am.  And this is so clearly demonstrated in that I am loved by God who knows me completely.   As God loves us, we are to love others.  And God also tells us to love our enemies as we love ourselves.  There are no exceptions as to who we are to love.  How much more blatant can it be that we have to choose to love?  Loving our enemies is not natural.  Our first inclination is to, at the very least, avoid them or to hate them back.  Truly loving them can only be done with God's love in us.  We are to choose to act in love.

So I challenge you to be aware of the choices you are making throughout your day.  I pray that you will choose to love and see God's work in your life.

Journey

We are all on a journey.  Some times the path is smooth and sometimes it is very rocky and hard.  Sometime the path goes for a long time and other times it changes in an instant in very unexpected ways.  My desire is that this blog will be used to encourage with little pearls along the way and to help you realize that you are not alone on your journey.

 A journey is an act or instance of traveling from one place to another or something suggesting travel of passage from one place to another according to Webster's Dictionary.  Our life is a journey - going through experiences, whether good or bad, and ending up in different places from where we started.  Our journey is made up of many little journeys- from childhood to adult, from single to married, from school to career, falling in love, loss, and so many others.  We are being impacted by circumstances and people around us or we are impacting others.  We are not the same today as we were 10 years ago, one month ago, or one day ago.  We are being changed daily, sometimes in small ways and other times there are significant changes.  Whatever happens each day is affecting us.  We may think we are the same, but even the act of resisting change is making us more firm in our position.  You can see this in people experiencing a tragedy and their ability to remain strong becomes even stronger.   Any part of our journey can bring out the worst in us, or it can bring out the best in us.  Sometimes it is things that we didn’t know we had in us or even believed that we were capable of doing.   

We don’t always realize where we are blocking God from moving in our lives.  In our society, there are so many distractions and so many self- help books that keep us from really examining our hearts.  We can blame it on our family life, our work, our boss, or any number of things.  And we keep telling ourselves that if I can just get a break, or if I just work harder, or if I just do a little bit more than the other person, it will all work out.  But what is in our hearts?  What are our true needs?  What is our desire?  If we don’t know the answer to these questions, how do we begin to walk the journey that we are meant to walk with God?     

So what do we do while we are on this journey and things are happening to us outside of our control?  How do we respond?  Aren’t there things about us that we would like to change?  I worry a lot.  I lose my temper too easily.  I want to be a better person, a better spouse, a better parent, etc.  However, sometimes, we think that changing our circumstances is what we need.  If the circumstances change then I will be better.   If my job was different, if my spouse was better, if , if , if.   The reality is, whether your circumstances change or not, you are still you.  You take your ideas, the way you handle things, your view of everything, with you.  What we need to do is examine ourselves.  With everything, we have a choice.  A choice to love or a choice to be angry.  A choice to enjoy or to complain.  We can walk in peace or in turmoil.  I didn’t realize for a long time how a lot of little things had been impacting my life and who I was becoming.  My past was affecting how I was responding to situations and how I viewed these issues. 

I would like to share my journey and the choices that I have made and are making today to encourage you as you walk your own journey.  I pray that you will take comfort in knowing that God knows exactly where you are and the circumstances surrounding you.  My hope is that you will let God speak to you through these words and into your life and your circumstances.  I hope you find what God is saying to you for you are very special to Him.