While driving down the street I was behind a person driving a boat named “Bad Decisions.” It took me a minute before it dawned on me what I was looking at. Then I thought, “Wow, that name is sexy. But what (if anything) did it cost the person who owns that boat?”
Let me elaborate a little more. Often, people purchase or partake in things in life that they truly desire but are ultimately neither beneficial nor profitable for them. Unfortunately, those things can come with a cost…they can cause one to lose someone or something that is truly more valuable than what was indulged in. However, the value of who or what was lost is sometimes not realized until it’s gone. I wondered if the person with the boat had experienced any remorse for purchasing it. Did their decision negatively impact their family, marriage, or finances?
Deuteronomy 30 tells us how God gives us the choice between life and blessings, death and curses. God desires us to choose life, and gain everything that comes with it. As awesome as that is, what I want to highlight is the fact that He allows us to choose. And with the ability to make choices, He also gives us the wisdom to make the right choices. For some reason that doesn’t always come easy to us. Sometimes our desires conflict with doing and choosing what’s right. Nevertheless, there still remains a pathway we can get on that allows us to live an abundant life in Christ, and another that leads in the totally opposite direction.
With God giving us the ability to make life choices, it’s up to us how we maneuver. How many times have we made decisions that cost us time, money, friendships, a job, our health, romantic relationships, (etc.)? The crazy thing about it is we sometimes know the consequences (good and bad) before decisions are made, and STILL make the decision that ends up negatively impacting us and or those around us. I admonish you to consider the pros and cons of what you want out of life. What, if anything, will it cost you? How will it impact those around you?
My prayer for you is that before you make another decision, large or small, you will acknowledge our Father, seek Him for wisdom and direction, and/or see if what you desire aligns with His Word. At a very basic level, in the instances the negative consequences of a decision are in your face don’t overlook them for the sake of personal gratification. IT’S NOT WORTH IT. And on the occasion you get that feeling as if the decision you are about to make is not profitable don’t override it by going forward with the decision. That may still be God’s way of warning you.
Grace, peace & blessings
Selah