It's A Choice

 If you really sit back and think about it, life is pretty simple. Your life's trajectory all comes down to the decisions we make and the perspective we attach to those decisions. We are all uniquely born into the bodies we were destined to have, and each individual will have their own set of rivers to cross and mountains to climb, rain clouds and rainbows, ups and downs, victories and defeats. To some it may feel like your rainclouds are a lifelong companion following you around like a balloon tethered over your head. On the other hand, some folks have more than their share of the hardships and heartaches, but you probably wouldn't ever know it because they never complain about their life situations and they seem to just truck along on down the road. What's the difference? What causes one person to flip off the car in front of them when they feel they are cut off in traffic, while another person in the same situation drives up alongside the driver in question and throws up her hand signaling sorry about that even though they had no part in what just happened. One person is born with abnormal appendages, but thrives and pushes through, while another person with no physical conditions sits down and quits because life just isn't fair from their perspective. What is the difference? I believe the answer is a simple one, there are many aspects of the life we live that are set beyond any degree of control on our part. There are circumstances that take place throughout our lives, some good to great, others not so good, and still others terrible. You have your list and I have mine. What we all have to understand is you are in control of one thing, your mind. How you handle your life is up to you. Nobody else has that control over you, what I have learned, as simple as it is, is that it is all about what we choose to do with what life hands us. "It's a Choice".

Someone out there is already reflecting on the premise of today's message and they are thinking, "well you don't know what I've been through or what I have to deal with each day" to which I completely agree. Yet, I would counter that thought with "nor do you know mine". I have been blessed in the life I have been given to live, I am truly grateful for all I have experienced, all I have been given, and for all that I have accomplished thus far in my life. Has it all been a bed of roses with the red carpet rolled out leading me to my silver spoon and bowl full of cherries? The answer hear is a simple no. I have fallen down both literally and figuratively throughout my life, I have viewed life from the mountaintop and I have wallowed in dark, muddy valleys and through it all, how I approached my life's perspective boils down to a simple thought, "It's a Choice". 

Take this as simple as you want, or go deep and apply the concept to the most complex aspect of your life. It really doesn't matter, you are completely in charge of this one thing, you choose how you respond to anything that happens to you in this life that you are living. Eating a healthy diet, "It's a Choice". Exercising regularly, "It's a Choice". Overcoming a bad attitude about your life's circumstances. "It's a Choice". Do I choose to live life abundantly or do I choose to steal, kill, and destroy? "It's a Choice". Deciding to argue a point that does not impact your convictions or ethics. "It's a Choice". We could go on and on, but in every situation and every circumstance it comes back to "It's a Choice" and the good thing about it is, it is your choice. 

I was in a conversation with a friend and colleague the other day and during our chat we both agreed that God knew us before we were born, God has a plan and purpose for the life we have been given to live, yet at the end of the day, it is our free will to choose to seek out God's purpose for this life we are living. Joshua, who started out as second in command to Moses as they led the Israelites through the wilderness on a journey to the promised land, was thrust into the leadership role with the death of Moses. Joshua faced the same  opposition that Moses had endured, and at one point felt compelled to lay down his line in the sand. Idol worship had become an accepted way of life for many of the Israelites throughout the exodus from Egypt and as they meandered through the desert. After Moses' death, Joshua gathered his followers and presented them with this ultimatum, "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15. Basically, it was Joshua's choice and he made his choice. You have that same free will, "It's Your Choice". 

 Life can be tough, it may feel tougher for some folks, and it is tougher for some individuals. You may feel like you have a bowl full of cherries or you may have a bowl full of cherry pits. It doesn't really matter. What does matter is how you respond to any and all of life's circumstances and complications. Optimist or Pessimist, Half full or half empty, heads or tails, gazing forward or staring at what is behind, it is all a choice and the nice thing about it is the choice is yours. Regardless of life's situations and circumstances there is one choice that you will make that will determine your life's outcomes and ultimate destiny. Will you give your life to God? Will you choose to serve God or will you serve false idols? Will you look up to the mountains for your strength or will you seek pity and despair in the dark valleys of life? (Psalm 121:1-2). It's a Choice and it is yours! Choose life and choose to live it more abundantly! "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10. There is no better time than the present to make a change in how you think. It may be as simple as whether to argue or not, or it may be that you need to make a decision about how you approach each new day, whatever it is, you are in control of the most important aspect of the situation, it's a choice!

Coach Carter