Choices, we're faced with them everyday of our life. Some choices can be simple ones which has little or no affect on anyone. Like, deciding what restaurant to eat at or what clothes to wear. But there are choices that one can make that can have an impact on our life as well as the lives of others. Sometimes, without us even realizing it-both good & bad. For example, a man who chooses to leave his wife because he's bored. Or someone who chooses to use illegal drugs or hang around with the wrong crowd. On the flip side, an individual who chooses to save someone's life with no thought of his/her safety or the adult who chooses to become a role model for a teen who doesn't have a dad around.... How about the man who chooses to sign up for the military to protect our country?

As you can see, we never realize what the outcome of our choices will bring about. God made us all with a free will to make up our own minds about things. And the freedom to choose in every area of our life. Sometimes, we don't even think about "what effect will our choices have"....  A teen who is tempted to try drugs or smoke/drink for the first time. Thinking, they'll accept me if I take a drink, a hit, or a smoke. What they don't realize is that their decision may cause them trouble with the law, losing self control, or a life time addiction. And it even goes further than that-what about hurting the people that they love?  What about the adult who lies or cheats to get ahead in their job or cheats on his/her income taxes?  All of these examples prove, that good choices bring about good outcomes. And wrong choices can bring about some really bad things in a person's life as well as the lives of those they love/care about.

I feel that we all have to evaluate our choices regardless of our age, gender, race, Christian, non-Christian, etc...  Nobody is immune to making decisions as they're passing through this life. Many an inmate can tell you that he/she got where they were by the choices that they made. And just about all of them end up regretting those decisions. And wishing, they could take back their actions which caused them to be in prison. Fortunately, most of us will never have to go to prison for anything. But we can be in our own prison of regret from poor choices. I know in my own life, I've made choices that have been good & bad. Although, I've never done anything that would put me in jail, I have made choices in my past, that I have regretted. We can never change what's been done in the past. But we do have control of our choices in the future. Next time you're faced with a decision, stop & think first (better yet-pray about it). Some of the best choices come from taking the time to think on things (if you have the luxery to do that). The choices you make may not be as "major" as someone who's tempted to do drugs or anything else in that category. It could be something really simple such as visiting a sick relative or helping out a neighbor. We never know when it maybe our last visit with that relative or helping someone out may really encourage that person in some way in their life. I really believe that our choices can dictate our outcome/future. This may sound like a cliche as it's been said before, but I try to remember to ask myself-"What Would Jesus Do"??  When, we think about it that way, it puts things in a totally new perspective (especially for the Christian).

In Christ,

"Tawana"-Christian Artist/Songwriter
T.J. Albert Productions, Spring, TX