The Choices We Make

 

Once again, on the, Scrapgirls.com site, I have read a muse by Ro, the owner of the site, which tells a tale of our humanness. It also talks about a message that I hold so dear to my heart:

We have the agency to choose what we do and how we respond to every situation.

            Life Muses by Ro: Life is a Tangled Web

Life can feel like a tangled web of push and pull between our own actions, the actions of others, the forces of nature, our frail human bodies, and acts of God. What we choose affects ourselves and others. The choices of others affect them and those around them. Communities are affected by acts of God and nature. We get sick. We die. On the surface, it appears that we are so subject to the influence of others and influences outside of ourselves that we have little control over our own lives.

But, here is the truth of the truth of one of the few true truths of our lives. We have the agency to choose what we do and how we respond to every situation. And, ultimately, we will be accountable for our choices.

It would be easy, at this point, to launch into a discussion of the world's ills and how they have been caused by poor choices. After all, the trouble that is brewing in the world has largely been caused by the unfortunate choices of people.

However, discussions about such matters usually focus on other people- how the poor choices of someone other than ourselves have made the world as it is . It is far more difficult for us to chat with ourselves so that we might examine the choices we have made.

I will admit to you that I often find them difficult - these daily chats I have with myself about my choices. They are often filled with sorrow and regret. They are sometimes hours of tear - filled prayer. Occasionally, they are quiet celebrations that I made a correct choice during a difficult situation. They are always opportunities fro growth and hope as I have observed that when I humble myself and ask God for help with such things, the weight of my frailties lifts from my shoulders as hope that I might make better choices in the future fills my heart.

This was not planned to be the topic of my post, but upon reading it, I wanted to share. Instead of paraphrasing and giving credit I thought it best to share it with you as written by Ro.

I think it is more often than not human nature to blame someone else for what is going on in our lives. How can we possibly be to blame when there are so many factors out of our control? By focusing on the blame we miss the opportunity to see the choices before us. There are always choices. Sometimes they are obvious and sometimes not. Sometimes they are easy and sometimes they are very difficult. Sometimes we choose not to make a choice because by not making a choice we think we don't have to take responsibility for the results of the choice made. We foolishly think that we can just let whatever happens happen and then we are not responsible. Silly, when one stops and examines this mode of thinking. By not making a choice we are making one! Because of this post, I have some choices I am going to make today, be them the right ones or the wrong ones they will be mine and I will own them.