2022 is here. What a tough year we have been through! Now more than ever, our future will depend on the choices we make today. For many of us, our lives are essentially an accumulation of the hundreds of choices we make every week.
Bad choices sometimes have devastating consequences. I know some people who paid with their lives because they refused to wear a mask or get vaccinated . . . bad choices.
One of the greatest blessings is the gift of free choice. We are free moral agents, free to choose between good and evil. Sometimes the choice is not so clear, but most times, it is.
A key scripture for us to consider when making choices:
Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT) “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!
All of us are faced with choices every day that lean towards either producing life in our world or allowing in a little more darkness and death. This leads to such an obvious question: do you want more blessings or curses in your life and for those around you, your family and friends? Our bad choices can have a devastating effect on our loved ones. Think before you act. Think about the consequences your choice will have for others. Your selfishness affects not only you but also those around you. Of course, the opposite is true – your godly choices will bring blessing and peace.
Don’t make significant decisions in a panic or out of fear, desperation, or bitterness. Get advice from people you trust, people who will tell you the truth and not just what you want to hear.
Remember that ultimately your character is formed by the choices you make. The person you are today is shaped by the choices you made yesterday. I believe that there is a pattern that we live by:
We usually think about something before we act. If we act repeatedly, it becomes a habit. Continue with a habit, and it becomes a lifestyle. This then develops into our character.