(05.04.21 – Choices in Life -Proverbs 1:10-19)
My friend, may I ask you a question? Wouldn’t it be great sometimes, if difficult decisions, could be made by someone else? Or, even better, if we could just put off our choices until they just went away.?
My friend, Life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.
I'm M. Clifford Brunner.
Easy choices are attractive since they often are choices that give us results quickly and instant satisfaction. Recently my wife and I decided that it was time to consider replacing our ancient Airstream trailer, which is now over thirty years old, with something more up-to-date. We shopped around and considered the choices. Amazed at the array of conveniences that are now standard in most trailers, we began to narrow our choices down to two models. Finally, we made a choice and began to plan the financing. It seemed an easy choice and we began to wonder if we had missed something. The payments were affordable and the trailer lacked nothing for convenience and state-of-the-art. But, then it hit us. Airstreams are made to be on the road for thirty, forty, even fifty years. The nice little pop-up trailer we were looking at would prob- ably be all worn out even before we had our loan paid off. What we thought was an easy choice had become a painful one. In the end, quality without convenience won out over convenience without quality.
It would be great sometimes, if difficult decisions, could be made by someone else. Or, even better, if we could just put off our choices until they just went away. Life, unfortunately, doesn't often put that option on the menu.
Here's a story: During World War II, British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. For Churchill this was a conundrum. Either way lives would be lost. However, in the end, he had to weigh the cost of lives saved over lives that might be lost. Churchill had to choose and followed the second course. The first choice would earn him favor with the people of Coventry and the second choice was far less attractive, but not choosing at all would have been disastrous. (Klyne Snodgrass, Between Two Truths - Living with Biblical Tensions, 1990, Zondervan Publishing House, p. 179.)
It would be great if all the choices in life were easy. But, it simply isn’t the way things are. In fact, what sometimes seems an easy choice is often the enticing choice when we sit down and really think it through. Choices that involve pain are often the choices that turn our being the right ones in the end. Flash and glitter accompany a lot of choices in this life, but flash and glitter are gone in a moment. We still have the old Airstream and are thankful for the quality it gives us year after year. When making choices having an eye for tomorrow despite the glitter of today always makes more sense.
We pray. Heavenly Father, it sure would be great if all the choices in life were easy. But, we know they are not. Often an easy choice is the enticing choice, a choice that seldom leads to spiritual growth. When You give us choices that involve pain, these are often the choices that turn out being the right ones in the end. Flash and glitter accompany a lot of choices in this life, but flash and glitter are gone in a moment. Forgive us Lord when we fall for what we see and not what is. When making choices move us by Your Spirit to have an eye on tomorrow and not the glitter of today. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.
If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to ”This Passing Day!”
<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.