Forty-Two Ways in Forty-Two Days- Choices- and our ability to make them.

Have you ever sat and thought about the myriad of choices we make every single day? Why, before 5:30 this morning I had already made a half a dozen; I would get up even though I didn't have to, I would let Miss Harley stay in bed since she clearly didn't want to get up, I would go ahead and make the coffee, I would go outside to watch the dawn while I drank that first cup, I would indeed skip church to drive home early , and I would hold off on my MTX until I got back to my house- all little things that though they had no affect on anyone else would indeed affect my day. Change any one of them and it would have changed the pattern of my whole day.

What about the bigger decisions that we make? Those decisions that we make that change the course of our lives and the ones that affect others. Did you realize that even when you don't "make that decision" based on fear or other factors and the opportunity lapses- you are still making a decision by not doing anything? A prime example of that is when you are in a dead-end job where you are miserable (everyone has at least one of those in their lives) and because of bills or because it provides health insurance or because you are afraid you might not find something better- you stay there and stay miserable for that forty plus hours a week. That inaction is a choice that you make.

Our choices- whether great or small- are one of our greatest freedoms and one that we take most for granted. How many of our fellow men don't have the opportunity to choose to do something as simple as get out of bed in the morning because of their health? Or cannot choose between a home cooked meal and grabbing a spot of takeout because they are living in poverty in a third world country and that just isn't a part of their reality? Or- can't choose to pick up the phone and call a loved one when they feel like it because they are overseas fighting for our country? Simple things that we can choose to do every single day and never think about would be someone else's idea of heaven.

Some of our choices are almost automatic and some we give great thought. My message today is that when we are on autopilot and just making a "natural" decision (Will today be a good day or a bad? Blue shoes or black? Go to bed early tonight or stay up late and watch that movie? ) stop for a moment and let us all give thanks that we have the ability and the freedom to make so very many choices.