“There may be a thousand little choices in a day. All of them count.” Shad Helmstetter (Artwork by Kelly Rae Roberts)
“He ruined his life.” Mom made that comment about a lot of people over the years.
It sounded so permanent that it scared me. It also made me wonder what choices were severe enough to ruin a person’s life.
Determined not to make one, I didn’t have sex until we married. I never smoked, cursed very little, and also waited for marriage to drink, even though I didn’t do much of that either.
My husband wasn’t responsible for me turning to bad habits. He just helped me relax a bit, probably because he didn’t know about ruined lives. And really, neither did I. No one I knew seemed to have one, although there were plenty of people who acted perpetually unhappy.
But their unhappiness never seemed based on only one decision.
A friend finally cleared the confusion – she said it in a way that made sense. Her father, in the hospital and not expected to live, asked how he got to where he was – miserable, bitter and friendless.
Here’s her answer.
“All I could tell him was, ‘Dad, it was a series of bad choices.'”
What’s been your experience with choices?
WRite wHere I’m supposed to be – Although it is true, one decision may change our life’s direction, I couldn’t imagine God designing the world so that one decision bankrupted a life forever. However, a series of ones, bad or good, have the potential to break or make us. Choices, choices.
On the side: Click here and enjoy more artwork by Kelly Rae Roberts.
Zig Ziglar says “Every choice you make has an end result.”
Good thoughts…and perspective…
Thanks, Sheri.
So very true. One of my good friends, a retired Intermediate School principal used choices as a theme to encourage youth to improve their life patterns. And I remember a high school graduation speech about the biblical prophecy of \” multitudes in the valley of decision\” And the aptitude and career tests often compare the choices to see what careers are more suited to those picks. Amazing when you analyze it.
It is a wonder to think about our choices. Interesting about the career tests and others like them – I\’ve always liked taking those tests because they slow me down and give insight into what i\’m doing, instead of just reacting and full steam ahead. I need a daily checklist like that … maybe a future post.