Good or Great Choices

  As I was trying to fall of sleep the other night, I was dwelling on some advice that I often receive from my favorite baristas of don't fall, don't do drugs, don't get lost and make smart choices.  I am all for this advice, but if it leads to us living a sheltered life, something is not right.  Maybe with this advice along with an Aerosmith song title of Living on the Edge we can spice up our life and make life a little more interesting.

    The first one idea is that non of us like to fall, because it could make us look like a fool or that we hurt something and it will end up with expensive doctor bills.  As I  am consistently reminded that when we take risk in life we often are going to fall, skin our knees and get some bumps and bruises along the way.  Are we avoiding taking life's risk because we are afraid of the skinned knees and the bruises that we could get.  If we are unwilling to take a risk, why are we getting out of bed.  Admittedly, when we take a risk, there are people who are willing to call us crazy for attempting great or that is out of our comfort zone.  The risk we are willing to take and what we are willing to fail at, will it make a difference in the here and now and for eternity.  Or does this risk make us YouTube famous and we will be forgotten about in fifteen minutes.  A prime example is Henry Ford, if he didn't take a gigantic risk, the Ford Motor Company would not be what it is today, and the assembly line would have taken even longer to be revolutionized.  Just remember not all risk should be taken.  I shouldn't go jump off the ledge of the Grand Canyon without a parachute and expect to live to tell about it.  Discernment is key to deciding what are good risk to take and bad risk to leave alone. Do we have thick enough skin for when we are laughed and our motives questioned to keep on moving. The last time I checked we are all going to get wounded in this life and develop scars.  Are those scars because of risk and adventure we learn something from, or is it from sitting on the sideline and we have the scars of pain and regret. 

   The second idea is the idea is that we shouldn't do drugs.  I know here in American our view on drugs, whether prescribed or others have changed, which is a lengthy conversation that can be held at another time and preferably in person.  What I will say is this, what are those things that we turn too to help us check out or avoid situations.  In my book that is a better definition of drugs/addiction is what is that one that one thing you can not live without and you often feel naked when you are not doing it.  What is that one thing that if you don't have or not doing on a regular basis causes you to become discomfort able and puts your life into chaos.  I find it interesting for the people who quit smoking, often gain weight.  They are trading the addiction of the nicotine and emphysema for food, weight gain and probably diabetes.  When we get rid of an addiction, we have to realize that we are creating a vacuum and we need to fill it with something that is good, healthy and constructive.  So instead of saying don't do drugs, we should find those things that has a higher value in our life than it should (smart phones, social media, sports, books or even certain relationships) and work on either limiting or even getting rid of said things.

   The third concept is that we should not get lost. I have done enough traveling to know that I am directionally challenged and I get lost easily.  This may have prolonged a trip or two, but at at least I got to see some pretty landscapes and just maybe I was living by the philosophy of not all who wonder are lost.  So here is my question for all of us, do we know where we are going or are we taking life as it comes.  There is the philosophy that those who do not know where they are going might not get where they want to end up.  Are we taking inventory of our goals and making sure that we are doing things to meet those goals.  If a ship going across the ocean from NYC to London, and it is one or two degrees off its direction, the ship will end up anywhere but London.  This is where we need to make sure our compass is true. Is what keeps us grounded and on the straight and narrow true, or does our does it need to be recalibrated.  We also need to reevaluate our goals from time to time to see if we are meeting them and if not, reevaluating and adjusting them.  We all have desires, wants and aspirations, the question is that do we put in the goals to meet them or do we which that they just happen magically.  I can dream about losing weight or writing a book, but if I don't put in some tangible goals and work to meet them, that book isn't going to get written or weight will be lost. So being lost is more than just being in an unknown location, but it is not having any direction.

   How often the choices we make not the brightest.  I know I have made my fair share of mistakes and they become pointless when I don't learn anything from them.  When we make choices, we can either do nothing, play it safe or take risk.  There was a pastor who was leading a missions trip to Africa and someone told him to be safe.  His response was that God did call him not do anything stupid, but God didn't call him to be safe.  This is where discernment comes in because discernment always should tell us what is a good choice and what is a stupid one no matter how risky it may be.  I think there are times when called calls at least me to take risk to get outside of my comfort zone. There are decisions and choices that seem stupid to people but makes perfect sense to God.  Just remember, choices not only have consequences, but they often cost us something, and sometimes it comes with a really big price tag.  Are we willing to pay that price tag to make the decision or go down the path that we know we should.  Or are we willing to play it safe and live a life of mediocrity.  The question is who are we listening to when we make our choices, are we listening to ourselves, others or God. There is nothing wrong with asking advice from people who are mature and have that gift of discernment, but we really should be seeking God first.  I will walk off with this as a challenge and good advice from the Bible, is what we are seeking worth finding and are we willing to give everything we have to seek it. Also, where our treasure, our heart will be there also.