Choosing Your Own Path

“Stop It!” I yelled at my cousin as I pulled him off the boy. The fight had erupted because of a comment the boy had made.  Even though it was insulting, my cousin had too short a fuse and preferred to think with his fist. Considering the comment was not even levied against my cousin but me, he was overreacting.  I appreciated the sentiment and he coming to my defense but for me choosing to find a peaceful resolution and not resorting to violence was the path I had chosen in life. It was not easy wanting to follow the principles of Christ when others found you to be soft or passive.  Even the principle of turning the other cheek was confusing.  How was I to realistically turn the other cheek when someone directly confronted me or wanted to cause me harm? These were things I pondered on a regular basis.

The young man had insulted my religious beliefs and my cousin being the firebrand he is came to my aid or so he thought. “Thank you, but he is entitled to his opinion,” I said half-heartedly, wanting to punch the boy in his face myself. Yet for me regardless of my internal conflict my choice was to follow the principle of love even when it was not requited. I look at our society today and find myself constantly being disheartened by the amount of violence we inflict upon one another. It seems our only answer and solution for every problem is some form of primitive response, completely ignoring our ability to reason.  I allowed the boy to rant and rave all he wanted. He said what I believed was foolish and ignorant.  Yet in the middle of his tirade I felt unnaturally calm and listened to his reasoning for his opinion. Unfortunately every word that came out of his mouth further agitated my cousin who appeared ready to tear the young man’s flesh off with his bare hands. “You know what, I have this cous”, I said quickly before he attacked the young man again. He looked at me hesitantly a moment but then started walking in the direction of his home.

As the young man continued talking he started to cry once my cousin was out of view. Taken aback and not sure what else to do I simply asked him what was wrong.  He began to tell me about his home situation and the problems his family were facing. Due to such difficulties and what he saw at home on a regular basis it was hard for him to reconcile the existence of God let alone a loving God. I listened intently to what he was saying all the while praying in my heart to ask God what I should or should not say to him. At the end of our conversation he had apologized for insulting me and I invited him to visit with me to our church. Years later I realized if I had chosen a different path on how to react to his initial insults, I could have lost a now close friend and then soul for Christ.

A Moment of Clarity

In Genesis chapter two verse seven man was declared a living soul and one of the first things he was given in addition to life was his free will and ability to make choices. God did not design us to be automatons that just did everything they were programmed to do without the ability to reason and to choose.  We have been endowed with the power to think rationally, and decide which road and destiny we will accept for ourselves and even which path in life we will follow. 

Our career paths are not the only path in life we have the opportunity to choose. Even our spiritual destinies and the things we choose to allow ourselves to focus on in our daily living.  Jesus said a man speaks out of the abundance of the things that are in his heart.  So what paths are we even choosing for our thoughts and minds today? Are we a society that is only built upon criminal, immoral and debase actions or are we a people capable of greatness in every facet of life. The choice is up to us which we will be.

It is not our leaders that have the right to choose our destination as a country. It is not our families or friends that have a right to choose our destiny and path in life as an individual. Except for our creator, we are sovereign in the direction our lives will go and the same goes for us as a country. We can be the best shining gem of the sea and Caribbean or we can be the house of debase, immoral criminals with no standards or concept of right living. The path we take and chose is truly our own to decide. I encourage you today to choose the path of life, light integrity and virtue as you live grateful for each moment of life you are given and learn to be everyday a Beacon of Light.

Beam of Light for the Week 

Tolerance and patience are like wells of living waters that wash away our prejudice and hate.  Learn to be tolerant and patient with yourself and others.