Choices
I have observed that many exhibit the ability to have short memories regarding choices and the outcomes they bring into life.
Recently, my wife was in an auto accident that was not her fault, and thankfully, she was not injured. She was sitting at a stop sign well back from the line of stop. A woman was turning onto the street my wife was stopped on. My wife noticed the woman was constantly looking into her rearview mirror as she was making her turn and, as a result, turned too sharply and hit our car. The lady explained she had almost been hit at that intersection by someone not paying attention. Because of that one-time experience, she behaved differently when turning and turned way too sharp. Her memory of a prior incident led her to behave differently at that intersection than normally. It hurried her into the turn without looking ahead and checking her surroundings. She was fixed on looking backward while trying to go forward.
Whether or not she will remember the consequences of her choice and the lesson it can teach her depends on what she remembers about it. Often, a person can go away from the consequence of a bad choice without even recognizing it is the result of their choice. Many times, others get blamed for an outcome that is a direct result of a poor choice on the part of a person who is claiming to be a victim. When someone suffering from a poor choice claims victimization, they cannot see the effect of their choice and thus cannot learn from it. This is what I mean when I refer to a short memory regarding choices.
Choices are a powerful thing.
Jesus spoke about the power of choice in a parable in Luke 14 when he was invited to a ruler of the Pharisee’s home to eat bread during the Sabbath. Jesus was being watched closely by all present.
A man was there in front of Jesus who had dropsy. Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees present if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus knew He had a choice to make regarding this man’s need in front of Him. Jesus also knew the potential consequences of His choice.
Naturally, Jesus healed the man. Then, after He had healed the man, Jesus gave a lesson on choices. Jesus paid attention to the lawyer’s and Pharisees’ choices regarding where they sat at the dinner. They had chosen the best places. Jesus spoke of them possibly being invited to a wedding feast. He told them not to sit in the best place because a man more honored than them may arrive and force the host to come to them and ask them to move and make room for the more honored guest. That would produce a consequence of shame on their part. Instead, Jesus said, sit down in the lowest place. That way, the host can come to you and ask you to move to a better place, and you will be honored in front of all present.
By giving this instruction regarding the choice to humble oneself, Jesus demonstrates the power of choice—especially the choice of humbling oneself in any situation.
The path of humility will always produce a greater reward than a path of arrogance rooted in self-importance or selfish ambition. Jesus chose to do something that could bless a man who had a need that was obvious to all. Jesus’ choice was rooted in humility with a desire to bring blessing and offer the gift of wisdom.
Jesus’ humility and submission to His Father led Him to choose the opportunity of being a blessing. Today, there will be many opportunities for us to make choices. I encourage you to let Jesus, who lives in you, help you make choices with the aid of the Holy Spirit. It will set up a better harvest for you and bless others. This always starts with choosing to be Christ-conscious and others-minded.
