We Have A Choice

19 Jun

“At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it.”  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

When I was in grade school, the good Sisters used to tell us all the time that our choices had consequences.  Of course, they often focused upon the negative consequences of our choices and the ramification for cheating, lying, fighting and the like.  That was all well and good, though, because, at that age, that was the focus that was most important to us.

Our choices do have consequences, bad and good.  As Hanh tells us, our choices can lead us closer or further away from our soul’s desire.  If we choose to do bad, we suffer not only external consequences but internally as well since our souls become marred.  If we choose to do good, our souls receive the benefit of becoming more like our Lord.

I think the truth that most people forget is that each choice leads to the next choice, a choice that is made quicker and easier because of the choice made before it.  There are those who have sworn when they were young that they would never do anything bad or wrong and ended up as master criminals.  When they would share their stories, they were almost always the same.  At some point in time, an invitation was given to them to do something wrong.

As they considered it, it was something small and seemingly insignificant so they chose to do what they knew was wrong.  The only problem, if they were not ensnared immediately, was that the next choice to do wrong was easier to make.  They ignored the ramifications quicker.  Before they knew it, they were immersed in crime and didn’t really care about the consequences of their choices.  They were fueled by all their prior decisions.

Saints would share the same stories only in regard to choosing good.  Mother Teresa didn’t choose to be a super saint.  She just chose to lift one dying person out of the gutters and give that person the dignity of a clean bed upon which to die.  St. Francis chose to hug a leper on the road.  Other saints spoke of a choice that led them to other choices as well.  Bad begets bad while good begets good.

FAITH ACTION:  We will all be given choices today.  Choose what is good, what is right, what is pleasing to the Lord.