Choices
I found myself with a few extra minutes this morning before going to work. I thought I would just jump on one of those social networking sites, see what was up in the world and move on with the day. Since then, one of the status updates had been on my mind all day long. I commented on it, but I don't know that my comments did it justice. Now that I am starting this message, I don't know that I can ever due it justice, but it has surely been on my mind. I think of this individual all the time.
I don't know if it was a quote or just the profound pleading of struggling being. The statement was very profound. It started off with a small comment that went something like, giving up is the easiest thing to do... Since then it has been on my mind.
I began to wonder, how many times a day the thought of giving up has gone through my mind? or any of our minds for that matter? How easy and appealing it sounds to say and do. But then the question arises, could I live with myself afterwards? How long would I have to live with the burden of knowing I gave up? Which is easier? I don't know. I guess one could say it all depends upon the circumstance.
It gave me reason to ponder times when I have given up. I ask myself why? Was it worth it? Maybe I gave up then because I was not ready for the experience. I remember a time in my life when I was just not getting it. I was frustrated. I was trying to learn Spanish in the 9th grade. It did not matter what I did or how hard I tried, it just was not making sense. My teacher gave me an out when she told me that I would be better off dropping the class because she did not think I would ever be able to learn to speak Spanish. I took that as an easy excuse and quit. I gave up.
Years later, I was called to serve a Spanish speaking mission. I am not and never will profess to speak the language any better than I did in the 9th grade, but when I tackled it later in life, it seemed to be easier. It was not the easiest thing I did, but I believe things in my life had changed and i was now ready to commit to it completely.
I ponder that experience often. Sometime I get upset, who was she to tell me what I could not do? Did she give that advice with care and concern or was she just trying to get me out of her class? I don't know. Does it matter? I made a choice. I lived with the consequences. In this case, I don't know that the outcome mattered much. But there are times in our lives where the choices we make will matter. They will hang with us for the rest of our lives.
I wonder how many homeless people are out there dealing with the burdens of the choices they made. Did they give up and now don't know how to go back? What was it that they gave up on? It makes one wonder. Did they choose to be homeless or was that just the consequence of the choices they made?
I started thinking about the war in heaven. Did Lucifer make life and the challenges we would face on earth so dark and gruesome that the idea of giving up before we started would be easier? How have those individuals dealt with giving up? Have there been others in this life that have decided the same fate? Has it been worth it for them?
On the flip side, I am sure there are things we want to do, but try as we might, it just does not click. When I was younger, I dreamt of being an artist. It was not long before I realized that my talents were not there. I was fair, but did not excel at it. I gave up that dream for others.
I played an instrument or two. As I progressed in my development, I was force to decide how much I wanted to sacrifice to continue developing those talents. When I evaluated, I made a choice, I gave them up. I stopped swimming, running, acting, etc... I stopped dating certain individuals, I stopped working at certain places, I change my major, I pursued other avenues, etc... Do I live with the consequences of these choices? Yes. Are the all for the worse? No, I just realized that in the end I could do better, others would be better because of my choices as well, I could learn and grow from the experiences, but know that life had other paths for me to follow.
We all have choices. We must all live with the consequences of those choices. However, these consequences do not mean that we will not have more choices in the future and that we cannot change the path we are on. As long as we can always make the adjustment to our step and continue moving forward, we will be OK.
I continue to ponder, so should you. There is always someone, like me, willing to share their two cents worth. More importantly, there is always someone like your Heavenly Father, willing to help you find the right path.
I don't know if it was a quote or just the profound pleading of struggling being. The statement was very profound. It started off with a small comment that went something like, giving up is the easiest thing to do... Since then it has been on my mind.
I began to wonder, how many times a day the thought of giving up has gone through my mind? or any of our minds for that matter? How easy and appealing it sounds to say and do. But then the question arises, could I live with myself afterwards? How long would I have to live with the burden of knowing I gave up? Which is easier? I don't know. I guess one could say it all depends upon the circumstance.
It gave me reason to ponder times when I have given up. I ask myself why? Was it worth it? Maybe I gave up then because I was not ready for the experience. I remember a time in my life when I was just not getting it. I was frustrated. I was trying to learn Spanish in the 9th grade. It did not matter what I did or how hard I tried, it just was not making sense. My teacher gave me an out when she told me that I would be better off dropping the class because she did not think I would ever be able to learn to speak Spanish. I took that as an easy excuse and quit. I gave up.
Years later, I was called to serve a Spanish speaking mission. I am not and never will profess to speak the language any better than I did in the 9th grade, but when I tackled it later in life, it seemed to be easier. It was not the easiest thing I did, but I believe things in my life had changed and i was now ready to commit to it completely.
I ponder that experience often. Sometime I get upset, who was she to tell me what I could not do? Did she give that advice with care and concern or was she just trying to get me out of her class? I don't know. Does it matter? I made a choice. I lived with the consequences. In this case, I don't know that the outcome mattered much. But there are times in our lives where the choices we make will matter. They will hang with us for the rest of our lives.
I wonder how many homeless people are out there dealing with the burdens of the choices they made. Did they give up and now don't know how to go back? What was it that they gave up on? It makes one wonder. Did they choose to be homeless or was that just the consequence of the choices they made?
I started thinking about the war in heaven. Did Lucifer make life and the challenges we would face on earth so dark and gruesome that the idea of giving up before we started would be easier? How have those individuals dealt with giving up? Have there been others in this life that have decided the same fate? Has it been worth it for them?
On the flip side, I am sure there are things we want to do, but try as we might, it just does not click. When I was younger, I dreamt of being an artist. It was not long before I realized that my talents were not there. I was fair, but did not excel at it. I gave up that dream for others.
I played an instrument or two. As I progressed in my development, I was force to decide how much I wanted to sacrifice to continue developing those talents. When I evaluated, I made a choice, I gave them up. I stopped swimming, running, acting, etc... I stopped dating certain individuals, I stopped working at certain places, I change my major, I pursued other avenues, etc... Do I live with the consequences of these choices? Yes. Are the all for the worse? No, I just realized that in the end I could do better, others would be better because of my choices as well, I could learn and grow from the experiences, but know that life had other paths for me to follow.
We all have choices. We must all live with the consequences of those choices. However, these consequences do not mean that we will not have more choices in the future and that we cannot change the path we are on. As long as we can always make the adjustment to our step and continue moving forward, we will be OK.
I continue to ponder, so should you. There is always someone, like me, willing to share their two cents worth. More importantly, there is always someone like your Heavenly Father, willing to help you find the right path.
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