10-90 Decisions

"There is more that You require of me"

"He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it"

"We must push through no matter what we are going through; just remember God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called"

These are all words spoken to me within the last few days. All seem to be words of encouragement, picking me up right where I was about to fall off. It just amazes me how people can say something, that if said at some other time might not have made a difference, but because it was spoken in a time of great need, it's like a rope pulling you out of quick sand.

Words are so powerful, I guess this is why it is written that life and death are in the power of the tongue. The more I think about things, I realize that there is a creative element to words. Words spoken create certain atmospheres whether at work, school or home. I may hardly notice it, but I control the mood I'm in all day. I used to think that "bad days" or "good days" controlled my mood or attitude, but more and more I realized that I was the one choosing to let "stuff" get to me. Because I would let these things get the best of me, I would talk or respond in a certain way; it was in a way that said, "look, life is too serious to smile right now." The thing is, I was controlled by my circumstances for so long that even when I wasn't in a "bad mood" I would still appear to be serious and not smiling. This year I think has been the most drastic change; for the better of course. For a long time I "knew" that I shouldn't let my circumstances control my attitude, and even gave people the same advice; but ask me if I practiced what I preached? Nope. I guess it was one of those ideals in my mind that I knew I should follow, but it just wasn't convenient enough. Well, I guess I just came to a place in my relationship with Jesus where I had to make a choice. Would I live a life of convenience? Or a life of obedience?

The good news is that I chose a life of obedience; the bad news is that I still lived a life of convenience. See, the choice alone wasn't enough; that was like 10% of the commitment. The other 90% would come when I made unpopular decisions, when I stood alone for what's right, but most importantly, when I realized life wasn't about me, but about giving glory to God.

Even after remembering those three pieces of divine advice I mentioned earlier, I still have a decision to make. I can conveniently put them aside because they go against the grain of what I might be feeling right now, or I can choose to listen, be obedient and push through. Making the right decision is the first step, but its only with God's continued help that I will actually make it through to the other side of any problem.