The Power of Choices | Part 2
“The choice is clear and concise; one can either enjoy a better life through discipline and the right choices or settle for a life of regret…” — Rick Cox
You might have noticed that I changed a few words in the George Jones song, Choices, shown HERE from Part 1. I replaced AND with OR, and the word WITH, was replaced with, BY. The reason is I replaced it with BY is because IT IS what we choose that will allow us to enjoy death of life. In Deuteronomy 30:19 there is a passage, which says, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life that both you and your seed may live.” It is that simple. There is a time in life when the choices you make are influenced by your parents or other significant or responsible people around you. This is a given and should be well understood. However, there comes a day when the choices you make start having significant consequences. The choices made affect the next few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years – the choices will affect your future – the choices will either cause you to LIVE A SLOW DEATH bemoaning your existence or ENJOY LIFE with an heavenly exuberance.
There are many who are living a slow death in and around you; you may even be one of these walking dead. The walking dead are those who “CHOOSE” to make life harder and tougher by virtue of their own choices. They choose to use words of death; they choose to make decisions that bring trauma and turmoil; they choose to react instead of respond. They choose to blame everyone else for what is going on around them or to them. It might be good to remember that life is ten percent what happens and ninety percent your response. It is the choice you make in reacting or responding to what happens that makes the difference in your tomorrows.
The above scripture said, “CHOOSE LIFE.” How do we do this? By the words we choose to speak; the decisions we choose to make; and, the way we choose to respond. We do it by CHOOSING not to order the double stack burger with cheese fries. We do it by CHOOSING to have fruit instead of ice cream. We do it by CHOOSING to take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. We do it by CHOOSING to read a book instead of sitting in front of the TV. We do it by CHOOSING to work out instead of being lazy. It’s an accumulation of all our little choices like choosing to speak words of life, health, happiness and love. It’s also a choosing of what you think for what you think you become. It’s all about choices.
Why is it we choose to make life tougher than it already is? Why do we CHOOSE to do what we know is wrong when we know there will be adverse consequences? There are at least two reasons for this, the first being as children and young people we don’t think about consequences. We don’t think the consequences will be as adverse or significant as they wind up being. They usually aren’t when we are children, for as children we are not aware of the laws, which govern the reasons for why there are such consequences. This is OK as it is a reasonable excuse when you are a child, but as you grow older the time comes when there are no more excuses for this childish behavior.
The second reason is we don’t want to hurt others or look bad to our friends so, we go along or accept doing something we know we shouldn’t. The outcome is seldom good. What is sad is our heart already told us we shouldn’t YET, we do anyway. Choosing death is choosing that which does not foster life. Anguish is associated with death. Trauma and turmoil are associated with death. All of these are the results of choosing death through speech, decisions, thoughts and responses.
I have a dear friend who not only has been like a brother, but someone to which I have looked for years as an example to pattern my life. He has had very little formal education; was a long haired rebel that did the experimental drugs; struggled with severe dyslexia and reading comprehension yet, he chose to start making the right decisions instead of making ones that led to death. He chose to follow his Dad’s advice in marrying and committing to the right girl. He chose to work hard not only on his job, but more importantly on himself not allowing his shortcomings to hold him back. Although working long hours, he chose to spend any extra time away from work with his family rather than with his buddies at the bar or playing golf.
He chose to make the hard decisions when it came to running his business and doing what was right for the big picture even though it meant he might have to demote or even lay off someone who had become a friend. He chose to grow his business even though the pressures and responsibilities were great and a previous partner was too afraid to travel that road with him. He chose to live close to the cuff even though he had more money than most of his friends. He has chosen to be himself even though many attaining his level of success put on an heir of being something more.
The wise man has learned making the right choices makes life worth living rather than living a life full of regret, which makes life miserable and brings about a slow, but sure death. How are you going to CHOOSE to live? Are you going to choose death or are you going to choose life? The choice is up to you.
Best of LUCK as you
Labor Under Correct Knowledge…
Respectfully,
Rick Cox