Choices

nam-eno · Newbie Joined: Jul 05, 2007 Posts: 77 Status: **Offline**

080927

Stop for a moment and take inventory of what has happened in the days past from the day born. Take inventory of the trials and the pain in our path. Take inventory of the challengers and obstacles in the path of our desires. There is nothing to which we alone decide. We may succeed and fail. We may be dedicated to a cause or we may slump back into nothingness, but at best, our decisions only influence outcomes.

How do you say this, some may exclaim? Do I not feed myself? Do I not chose to work and earn my income? If I choose to slice my finger, will I not bleed? Am I not in control of every choice I make?

It is true, we are in control of our choices, but the results of what we do may have many tangents due to the choices of others. We may slice our finger and it will bleed, but it was the choice of another that has made a band-aide available to dress our wound. We may choose to leave the wound untended, to become infected, that we might lose our finger, our hand, our arm or our very life; but it is the choice of another to notice the wound, encourage that we seek help or render first aid.

We may be stubborn and refuse all assistance and surely as we build upon our choices, with each refusal of help, we may create the conditions for our own death. Perhaps in that choice and that choice only do we stubbornly remain in control; that choice to create the conditions for our own death.

If we but slice our finger and choose to do nothing to treat the wound, our death is assured, as slow as it may be. Should we choose to do something more dramatic, such as jump off a cliff, our death is assured and the choice of no one else can stop the outcome of our life. It will be a life, certainly ended by our choice, but one choice remains and that is the judgment of God.

And here is the mystery, if in the passing of choices, even in overt stubbornness to assure our death, if we contritely reach to the Lord, we have the opportunity for His mercy. The final choice may be to turn away and seek the abyss, but was it only our choice that led us to this path? Yes, the decision is ours, but who placed the temptation of such arrogance and stubbornness to demonstrate the extent of our control that we are independent of the Lord and the people of His kingdom? Who invites us to the abyss?

There is nothing to which we alone decide. God has given us the free will to choose our direction whether it is the kingdom of heaven or the vast abyss of hell. God invites us, and so does the evil one. We make our choice in faith and the denial of faith. We create the conditions for the final judgment by God, but it takes many decisions to get there; there is not one decision alone, each one builds upon another.

Take inventory of your choices. How many have taken you to the path of the Lord? Take inventory of your choices. How many have taken you to the path of sin? Take inventory of the bad events of life. Do we blame them on God? Take inventory of the good events of our life. Do we thank God for His blessing?

Do we use the bad as an excuse to turn away from God? Do we see the test in challenges, do we see the the hand of providence that perhaps awakens us from the arrogance of our choices and awakens us to the choices we have to seek the Lord?

We must take inventory of all about us. If we have been blessed with much, in an instant, it may all be taken away. If we have little, perhaps we may understand how little we truly need.

We must have food to sustain us, but when we depart this life, we can take no riches with us, we can only take our soul. In the end, our choices in this life determine the condition of our soul. Even in tragedy, when we feel helpless, when our choices appear to be robbed of us, we choose the condition of our soul and the Lord is there to help us.

The condition of our soul is made through the choices we make that lead us away from or to sin. We must take inventory of our choices, be they many or few, and ask why such choices were made. Our choices are made to react to something that is about us. We may choose to react as the Lord has taught or we may react in ways of sin.

Our choices are often in reaction to the choices of others. We may take pride in the choices of our word, but if our employer no longer has a job for us, what do we do? If we are invested only in this world, our tragedies have but one ending. If we are invested in the Lord, all may be taken from us, but we will have His peace, His love, His mercy to which nothing of this world can compare.

Though many of our choices are to sin, we are blessed with the mercy of His forgiveness. If all is taken from us, we have nothing to despair if we choose to place our soul in His hands. No pain of this world will exist when we walk into His kingdom.

Dear Lord, I have made many choices of sin and I know that in my nature I will make many more. Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, yet You have provided me with many blessings. You have graced my life with a wonderful wife, children and grandchildren. You have placed before me challenges and guided me to blessings.

I pray that You take care of my family and grant them with many wonderful blessings of Your peace and love. I pray that we are granted the wisdom to make the choices according to Your will.

I pray for all who influence our lives that anger is removed from our hearts that we may live with each other in the peace of Your spirit. I pray that should evil befall me that You grant me the strength to stand. I pray that when I fall to the temptations of sin that I be granted Your forgiveness and the strength to do better another day.

Dear Lord, I am a sinner that is not worthy of Your blessings, I know my sin will only lead me to sorrow. I am wretched in what I have done and what I have failed to do. I am not worthy to make any request of You, but I am thankful that in all my sin, You have blessed me with Your love. You died for our sins that we may still have hope to live in Your kingdom.

Dear Lord, I pray that you accept the unworthiness of my praise, the longing in my heart for the blessings of Your spirit. I am blessed and thankful for Your mercy and compassion. Glory be to You dear Lord for all You provide and all You invite us to. Amen.

Peace be with you,
Nam Eno