No one has a life of complete ups or eternal downs. We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world. We all experience good and bad times. It makes you fasten your seat belts—Life is a roller coaster!
Optimists tend to overlook the lows and focus on the highlights. Pessimists tend to focus on the low times in their life. When I’m on a roller coaster, I focus on getting through it without nausea or injury. That’s the stage of life I’m in these days!
“A life in which anything goes will ultimately be a life in which nothing goes well.”
Maxwell, John C. Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 (Developing the Leader Series)(p. 34). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition.
We all have at least some autonomy to do whatever we want. We can…
Yes, we have the freedom to do what we want. And in an anything-goes-world, there is much more beyond my imagination that any of us could do.
But sooner or later, we will suffer the consequences of bad decisions.
Anything goes is a poor strategy for going forward. We all need boundaries. We are accountable for our actions. John Maxwell had this quote concerning planning our daily-to-do list. It’s a reminder to me that even the decisions that may not appear to have large consequences can come back to affect us.
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
Proverbs 16:9 reminds me while it is good to plan, there are things I cannot predict, nor prepare for.
That may not feel very comfortable. Good and bad things happen every day. Layoffs, tough breaks, and a worldwide pandemic are just a few items that don’t make us feel great.
We can debate why things happen or if they ever should occur. But in the end, It is foolish to fight the unexpected things we can’t influence.
I choose to embrace the change God brings into my life. I will continue to plan and prepare for what I can foresee. But there are events, mishaps, and surprises no one can predict. It is best for me to know what I can control and make positive changes, while I let go of what is simply out of my jurisdiction.
Frequently, we blame others for the problems we are facing. We think life would be perfect if only that person got their act together. We believe we are helpless to change circumstances and if only that person did their job correctly, things would be perfect!
It never occurs to us, we may have the solution. We are like the girl in my cartoon. She believes her teddy bear is keeping her from her favorite TV show. When she realizes she can change the channel, she may be in a much better mood.
If you are going through a challenge today, consider if you have more control than you realize. At the very least, we have control of our own attitude. If you are allowing someone to get under your skin, reconsider why you are giving that person that kind of control over your emotions. You have more choices than you realize.
Have you ever had a challenging time that became better once you realized you had more control than you thought? Share it in the comments.
Ooh! That choice may come back to haunt him! But I can relate. My inner child likes to make gluttony an Olympic sport. I’ve been called a cookie monster fairly recently. I have made my way through scores of cakes, pies, and assorted baked goods over the years. They would probably fill an Olympic size pool.
We have the freedom to make bad choices every day. Of course, there is always a price to pay. If I didn’t attempt to control my appetite and never exercised, I could be facing a much heavier body with chronic illness. But that would be my choice.
I could choose to weigh thirty pounds heavier as I did twenty years ago. It would be my choice, because as Zig Ziglar said, “I never accidentally ate anything!”
Some bad choices are made knowing there are consequences. Some are made out of ignorance. We can be foolish and choose to ignore the wisdom that can save us from heartache. Some bad choices are made out of entitlement. We think we deserve something so we feel justified in making that choice.
But when we make a bad choice, let’s be honest enough to admit it was our choice. It does no good to blame others for our bad choices. It reminds me of this proverb:
The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord.
Proverb 19:3 KJV
Yes, we have the freedom to make bad choices. But we also have the responsibility to own up to them. The next time I see a plate of cookies (especially chocolate chip cookies), I will probably indulge. But I won’t blame anyone but me if I gain a few pounds.