Reason #778
It's a strange feeling to know you did the right thing and still feel bad about it. Having said that, I find it odd that we often feel good about doing bad things. Oh, the irony.
Today was kind of a difficult day, and I thought about the impact of our decisions. I thought about how easy it is to make the wrong ones. Sometimes, it comes so naturally we don't even give it a second thought. And yet, for some reason, doing the right thing is a struggle. It's like we have to dig down deep, grab ahold of courage and determination, and make an intentional effort to keep going in the right direction. But if you ask me, even though the right thing isn't always the easiest thing to do, it's worth following through with it in the end.
Every day people make life altering decisions. You know the saying, "Honesty is the best policy." Sure, it's corny, but it's the truth. Because what if, before you made any decision, you stopped and asked yourself if this was the best choice you could make? What if you were really honest with yourself, and with the people around you, about your actions? And what if, when you realized you weren't making a good decision, you stopped and made a decision to do the right thing instead? Because if you realized that eventually all things are revealed, that truth will float to the surface, you might decide differently.
I prayed about my day on the way to work this morning because I knew how the day was going to unfold. I knew what decisions were going to be made, and my heart was really heavy. And yet as I prayed, I realized that God is so good to correct our errors. It's true. Sometimes we get really angry when our bad decisions have negative repercussions, but what if God never shed light into our darkness? What if He allowed us to just keep on running full force down the path of destruction? What if He never tried to get our attention or tried to turn us around and save us from causing further damage? That wouldn't be very loving, would it? And I don't know about you, but I'd prefer He turn my ship around before it's too late rather than watch me crash and burn. And so I prayed God would do that today. That God would use our decisions to make His love and redemption known. I prayed that God would use our choices to draw us closer to Him. That regardless of what path had been taken, He'd use it to change lives and turn ships. Because there are times in our lives that God has to get our attention in a big way, and although it's never fun or enjoyable, it's the best thing for us.
Well, the best thing about bad decision making is that we always have the choice to stop. At any moment, we can decide to start making the right decisions. Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but the Lord is faithful to get us going in the right direction. And if we stay on track, if we pursue righteousness, and if we make decisions that are pleasing to Him, we've got nothing to worry about. It may be tough, but when it comes to decision making, the best rule of thumb is to stay away from the easy choices and just focus on doing what is right.
#778 - Because He loves us enough to turn our ships around.
"My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." - Proverbs 3:11-12
Today was kind of a difficult day, and I thought about the impact of our decisions. I thought about how easy it is to make the wrong ones. Sometimes, it comes so naturally we don't even give it a second thought. And yet, for some reason, doing the right thing is a struggle. It's like we have to dig down deep, grab ahold of courage and determination, and make an intentional effort to keep going in the right direction. But if you ask me, even though the right thing isn't always the easiest thing to do, it's worth following through with it in the end.
Every day people make life altering decisions. You know the saying, "Honesty is the best policy." Sure, it's corny, but it's the truth. Because what if, before you made any decision, you stopped and asked yourself if this was the best choice you could make? What if you were really honest with yourself, and with the people around you, about your actions? And what if, when you realized you weren't making a good decision, you stopped and made a decision to do the right thing instead? Because if you realized that eventually all things are revealed, that truth will float to the surface, you might decide differently.
I prayed about my day on the way to work this morning because I knew how the day was going to unfold. I knew what decisions were going to be made, and my heart was really heavy. And yet as I prayed, I realized that God is so good to correct our errors. It's true. Sometimes we get really angry when our bad decisions have negative repercussions, but what if God never shed light into our darkness? What if He allowed us to just keep on running full force down the path of destruction? What if He never tried to get our attention or tried to turn us around and save us from causing further damage? That wouldn't be very loving, would it? And I don't know about you, but I'd prefer He turn my ship around before it's too late rather than watch me crash and burn. And so I prayed God would do that today. That God would use our decisions to make His love and redemption known. I prayed that God would use our choices to draw us closer to Him. That regardless of what path had been taken, He'd use it to change lives and turn ships. Because there are times in our lives that God has to get our attention in a big way, and although it's never fun or enjoyable, it's the best thing for us.
Well, the best thing about bad decision making is that we always have the choice to stop. At any moment, we can decide to start making the right decisions. Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but the Lord is faithful to get us going in the right direction. And if we stay on track, if we pursue righteousness, and if we make decisions that are pleasing to Him, we've got nothing to worry about. It may be tough, but when it comes to decision making, the best rule of thumb is to stay away from the easy choices and just focus on doing what is right.
#778 - Because He loves us enough to turn our ships around.
"My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in." - Proverbs 3:11-12