By Webmaster

Freedom of choice is the greatest gift of all. But it isn't free.

Every choice we make has consequences. Every decision we make involves obvious trade-offs as well as unintended and unforeseen consequences. If we knew how every decision would turn out, it wouldn't be a matter of choice, it would be a foregone conclusion.

We exercise the power of choice every day in countless ways. Most of the time, we don’t think through our choices. We simply rely on intuition and trial and error when the consequences of a mistake are easily corrected.

When faced with a choice of some magnitude, we have to think things through or pay the consequences. It could be a choice that we gladly make, such as getting married, having a baby, accepting a better job or moving to another city and starting a new way of life. It could also be a choice that we’re forced to make as a result of a natural disaster, mounting debts, sickness, divorce or some other personal calamity. But, in any case, the situation is too big to ignore. We have to make a smart choice.

If things don't work out the way we expected, we get to make another choice. That is, we get to decide how we feel about the outcome. We can choose to feel bitter or better. We can choose to pout or pray. We always have another choice to make.

The most troublesome choices are the ones that present us with a moral dilemma. Those are the true tests of our character. They come in many different guises. It may mean choosing between becoming a whistle blower or protecting the jobs of our co-workers. It may mean choosing whether or not to bring an at risk pregnancy to full term. It may mean having to tell an elderly parent that you can no longer care for him or her - - it’s time to move to a nursing home.

The difficult decisions are the crucible in which our character is formed. Out thoughts become words. Our words become decisions. Our decisions become actions. Our actions become habits. Our habits become character. And our character becomes destiny.

If a decision is big enough to think about, it's important enough to pray about.