A choice that leads to somewhere

Every moment of my life presents to me the opportunity to make a choice. Every moment. I am surprised, really, when I think about how many decisions I make in a day. When the alarm clock goes off, I choose whether to heed its call and get out of bed, or to turn it off and sleep on. When I'm thirsty, I choose whether to drink water or soda. When my kids act out of line, I choose whether to get angry or stay calm - and even whether to let it slide or enforce discipline. I choose what radio station to listen to, what TV shows to watch. The list goes on and on.

There are certain choices that each of us has to make in our lives, though, that are not so clear cut. We choose whether to approach life with a good attitude or a bad one. We choose whether to operate in self-pity or to forgive. We choose to act on our own behalf or for the good of others. We choose to think on positive things or negative. We choose whether to do what we do with intentions of pleasing and honoring God or with more selfish motivations. We choose whether we will be happy or unhappy.

Yes, these things - our attitudes, our thoughts, and our very happiness - are choices. Entirely up to us. I must choose to forgive. I must choose to put others first. I must choose my attitude. I must choose to be happy. These are not feelings. They are choices.

This afternoon God gave me a very simple revelation. My life circumstances RIGHT NOW are the result of life choices - both significant and trivial - that I've made leading up to this moment. My choice to buy Wendy's for dinner 2 days ago leaves me with $15 less in my bank account right now. My choice to overlook something that Lucas does that aggravates me - my choice to forgive instead of to hold it against him - brings me to this moment right now that I can say I love my husband with my whole heart and hold nothing against him. My choice to live for Jesus brings me to this place in my life full of contentment and blessings, and I cannot even imagine where I would be had I chosen differently.

My decisions regarding my actions and heart attitude determine the depth of my relationship with God, and the degree to which I will experience the fullness of all that He has for me. Deuteronomy 28 states this very clearly.

• verse 1-2: If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.
• verse 15: But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall com upon you and overtake you.

We must face the consequences of the decisions we make - whether they are good or bad. But we can also learn from our decisions and choose to make a change if needed, or choose to continue with steady determination if we are doing what we know we should. Not every decision is easy. In fact, I've found in my own life that most of the ones that really matter are completely the opposite. And often, I find that when I've decided to make a change, that change is not quick to come. It involves a lot of determination, a lot of mistakes, and a lot of humility to admit my mistakes along the way. But change does come. And it is worth working at.

After giving this some thought, I've decided (see, yet another decision *LOL*) that my choices I make today MUST be in line with where I want my life to be in the future. If I want financial stability, or marital success, or sound relationships with my children, then the actions I choose must point in that direction. Likewise, if I want peace, happiness, joy, and blessings, I need to choose accordingly, recognizing that every moment truly is a choice that leads to somewhere.