I Choose

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." ~ Joshua 24:15

Today, I want to talk about choices. Not in terms of choosing to subscribe to any religion, or more importantly, choosing to gain a closer relationship with God (though I believe this is the most important choice you will ever make), but rather I want to talk about your everyday, real-life choices. The choice you make to either speak to someone you pass on the street or to simply walk on by without saying a word. The choice you make to either let someone pass in front of you on your way to work, or to cut them off.

We all make millions of choices throughout the course of our lives, but it’s the quality of our choices that determine whether we experience success or failure. And so, I challenge you today to examine your choices. Are you making the right ones? Do the choices you make help you reach your goals or are they hindering you? Do your choices benefit others or do they simply benefit yourself?

While the world would have believe that what you do only affects you, that you are the only one who suffers the consequences, good or bad, of your choices, I submit that every time you make a choice, someone else is affected, either positively or negatively. Every time you mess up, it’s a lost opportunity for you to be a positive example for someone. Every time you choose to get drunk on a Friday or Saturday night, it’s time lost that you could have used to make someone else’s life better. Every time you choose to pass someone on the street, it’s one less smile that could have brightened their day. Every time you choose to curse, it’s one less kind word that could have changed the course of someone’s life.

So, no, your choices don’t just affect you. They affect your neighbors, co-workers, friends, family members, acquaintances, anybody who you have the ability to influence. The difference between life success and failure lies in the choices we make. A succession of right choices leads down a path of happiness, righteousness, and success. A string of wrong choices leads to failure, unhappiness, and depression. So choose ye this day whom you will serve. Will you make the right choices, not only for you, but for those around you? Or will you continue to make the wrong choices in life and poison the lives of those around you. I’m praying it’s the former.

God bless,
J.W.