“My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win out.” Ronald Reagan
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Assuaged: “make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense” New Oxford American Dictionary
From time to time in all of our lives, we come to crossroads that require us to make decisions. Decisions like, what kind of house or car to buy, whether to drive after having a few alcoholic beverages, or whether to stay up all night before work. Obviously, sometimes decisions are easy, but sometimes they can be very difficult. However, when we view every decision as having a real effect on our lives, as having a real destination, they can become much clearer, if not easier. For example, the decision to go deeply into debt by the temptation to buy more than we can afford could be assuaged by the goal of being happily debt free (a good goal). Or the desire to cheat on a partner could turn to disgust when weighed against the rewards of a happy family (another good goal). Unfortunately, I think too many of us don't believe our decisions will ever make much difference, especially the ones with seemingly distant consequences. Since it's hard to imagine paying off our house 30 years from now, or saving enough money to retire with, some people never actually expect to do so. Therefore, they never start trying. The point I'm trying to make is this; if we set deliberate goals in our lives and focus on them, what were once difficult decisions can become simple and immediate. No, the decisions that lead us down honorable paths will not always be easy. The world and the devil will put up road blocks and distractions to avert our path. But perhaps the more dangerous temptations are the ones intended to divert our gaze. In practice, an NFL wide receiver will almost never drop a ball. So why do they drop it so many times in the game? The answer is distraction. The footsteps of a defender, or the thought of being hurt distract them from concentrating on the catch. They take their eye off the ball, and it falls to the ground. When we keep our eye on our destination, we gear our lives to overcome the obstacles towards it. The noise of its/our opponents fade into the background. It becomes us, and our goal. I'm not much of a poetry connoisseur, but I'm reminded of a poem by Robert Frost entitled The Road Not Taken. In it he finishes with the sagely observation. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” The decisions we make today will make all the difference. Simply recognizing that truth is half the deciding.
Daily Journaling Questions:
How did I help someone in kindness today?
What did I learn today?
What am I thankful for?
Who did I love today?
What am I dreaming for?
What about today do I want to remember forever?
What are my goals for tomorrow?
Thanks for reading.
Jake
