Personal Log 6.12.18

Everything in life is a choice.

You choose to love or you choose not to.

You choose to believe in God or you choose not to.

You choose to believe God or you choose not to. 

You choose to accept Jesus or you choose not to.

You choose to believe the Bible or you choose not to.

You choose to walk in/by faith or you choose not to.

You choose to serve or you choose not to.

You choose to bless or you choose not to.

You choose to wake up early or you choose not to.

You choose to exercise or you choose not to.

You choose to eat healthy or you choose not to.

You choose to study the Bible or you choose not to.

You choose to hone your skills or you choose not to.

You choose to engage or you choose not to.

You choose to change or you choose not to.

You choose to speak life or you choose not to.

You choose to edify or you choose not to.

You choose to worship or you choose not to.

You choose to budget your money or you choose not to.

You choose to budget your time or you choose not to.

You choose to ask for help or you choose not to. 

You choose to speak out or you choose not to.

You choose to shut up or you choose not to.

You choose to forgive or you choose not to.

You choose to move forward or you choose not to.

You choose to enjoy life or you choose not to.

You choose to criticize or you choose not to.

You choose to compromise or you choose not to.

You choose to let go or you choose not to.

You choose to be social or you choose not to be.

You choose to be vulnerable or you choose not to be.

You choose to be offended or you choose not to be.

You choose to be excellent or you choose not to be.

You choose to be obedient or you choose not to be.

You choose to be overwhelmed or you choose not to be.

You choose to be lazy or you choose not to be.

All things can be boiled down to free will, to having & making choices that will affect not only us but others on this planet. 

We've all been given the same amount of time, the same 24 hours since the dawn of Eden. Life is short & granted, not everything is work, work, work; there's rest, there's enjoying nature & hobbies & the fruits of our labors.

In talking w/ many friends I ask them about their lives & what's going on, sometimes their answers exhaust me. I think to myself, “how can anyone cram so much into their lives?”, I mean they wake up, go to work, go to school/sport functions, go to college classes, go to church classes, come home & eat, collapse into bed, rinse & repeat. You know what though? That kind of life is a result of their choices & what they choose to prioritize. 

Jesus sacrificed His life for us, but one way He modeled sacrifice before He went to the Cross was in getting up early & praying. He chose to sacrifice sleep to connect w/ the Father. He chose that for us. This is something that we've been talking about in the our Men's Meetings: choices, priorities, sacrifices, what is consuming our time, our day, our thoughts...  how often are we choosing to prioritize Bible study & praying? How often are we choosing to turn off the pc, phones & tvs that consume much of our time & lives?

There's nothing wrong w/ a little entertainment or even a power nap, Jesus was known to take one here & there; there's nothing wrong w/ supporting your kids sports activities, there's nothing wrong w/ higher  education, these things in of themselves are good but an over-busy life is not. 

I've heard countless excuses as to why people aren't involved, as to why they're not honing their gifts & talents, etc & to be honest, they're all just excuses, it's what they choose to prioritize in their given 24 hours. For some it was their choice to get married, their choice to have kids, their choice to browse online for hours & hours at night… for others, it was their choice to stay single, to master their instrument or their craft, to devote a certain amount of time for prayer & study & ministry… 

We're all different, we all have different lives & therefore different priorities but it doesn't change the fact that our choices, whatever they are, create either excuses or results & each has their respective consequences or rewards. 

We all have time but we all don't necessarily make time, everything in life is a choice...