You Choose Your Life Every Day
On June 12th, 1999, I married my wife Kim. I stood in front of friends and family, witnesses and God, and declared that I would love her and be faithful to her, for better or worse, until death do us part.
It was a decision and commitment made at a specific moment in time. Early in the afternoon on Saturday, June 12th.
It was a one-time decision. But that was not the end. It is also a decision that has to be re-chosen every single day.
You see, every morning when I wake up, I am offered a choice: Will I be faithful to my wife today? And every day, I must choose faithfulness.
My marriage vows were a one-time declaration but an everyday
decision.
This is true about many of the most important decisions we
make for our lives.
We choose our life every day.
We don’t necessarily choose our circumstances every day, but
we do choose the person we are going to be.
My faith is important to me. I made a commitment to God and others many years ago… but each day I must choose to follow Him.
My family is important to me. I love my kids and I want to be both available for them and intentional in parenting… but every day I must choose to put their interests ahead of mine.
My health is important to me. Countless times I have committed to regular exercise and a healthy diet… but you know as well as I do, this is an intentional decision we must make every day.
I chose minimalism as a lifestyle almost 11 years ago… but every day, I must choose to reject the empty promises of consumerism because the temptation surrounds me constantly.
I desire to live a life of impact and significance… this requires me to make intentional decisions about time and opportunity almost every day of my life.
I believe a life lived in the pursuit of wealth is a temptation and a trap… but choosing to live for greater purposes is something I must do each day.
For you, the examples may be different. But the reality is the same:
We choose our life every day.
Annie Dillard said it this way, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
Some may see this as a burden. Their thinking might go like this, “Oh man, I have to choose a healthy diet again today.”
But seeing our daily choice as a burden is faulty thinking.
Because I get to choose my life every day, it means each day
is filled with opportunity. It also means, with each new sunrise, I am provided
opportunity to change or redirect course.
When I recognize choosing faithfulness, health, significance, impact, and intentionality is the best thing I can do for my life going forward, it means each day I am presented opportunity to choose the greater good.
Every morning, we get to choose the direction and the habits that lead us to live our best life possible. What a privilege!
What an honor!
What an opportunity!
May we choose the best for ourselves (and others) every single day.
