Choices

First you make your choices, and then your choices make you. If you are like me, you know that’s a true statement, but sometimes it just doesn’t matter.

Seriously, it’s January and the gym is calling your name…

But so are the treats in the pantry…

Both can be right choices at the right time. I think it becomes a bad choice when we choose sweets at the expense of sweat for a long period of time. It requires hours on the elliptical to work off a momentary indulgence in thin mints! We must be careful what we put into our mouths, for it affects our whole body.

First we make our choices, and then our choices make us… a moment on the lips, forever on the hips!

Just as we make choices that affect our physical bodies, we also make choices that affect our spirit. It’s January and the resolution to study, have daily quiet time, and dig deep into the things of God is calling your name…

But so is the TV or the novel by your favorite author…
Both can be right choices at the right time. But again, I think the choice becomes less than the best when we choose entertainment at the expense of edification for extended periods. How much are we allowing our hearts to be hardened by what we regularly take in through our eyes?

First we make our choices, and then our choices make us… the eyes are the window to the soul.

As a child we used to sing, “Oh, be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little eyes what you see.” These words are written for children, but they carry great wisdom.

Our viewing choices will affect our spirit whether we want to admit it or not. If we take in darkness, even under the guise of entertainment, we allow darkness into the very core of our being: into our soul and spirit. We allow dark thoughts to enter into our subconscious. Just as poor food choices affect our physical health, poor viewing choices affect our spiritual health. We must be careful what we put into our minds.

God is light, there is no darkness in him at all, and therefore, when we choose to put darkness into our being through our viewing/reading choices, we are choosing something which is at odds with God, and once we put it in it will always be a part of who we are.

“Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.” – Luke 11:34 NIV

Unlike going to the gym to work off a few extra Girl Scout cookies, we can’t unsee or unread things that might negatively impact us. I wonder how often we embrace wrong theology because it is wrapped around the plot of a book/movie that we sincerely enjoyed.

How are you balancing your viewing habits? Do you read/watch things that will build your faith as often as you read/watch things that simply entertain? Do you find there’s always time to watch your favorite TV shows, but never enough time to read the books that will increase your understanding of God

It isn’t about measuring time equally, it is about the heart. What choices have you made that have hardened your heart toward the things of God? What choices do you need to make to soften your heart toward the things of God.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 NLT

First you make your choices and then your choices make you. Who are your choices making you into? What choices do you need to make to become the person God desires you to be?

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