Choices
America is the culture of overchoice. When faced with what should be a simple decision, the amount of time we spending weighing the pros and cons of each option is rarely worth the ulcer we got in the meantime.
Tall or grande? Non-fat or low fat? Quality or quantity? Chicken or fish? DSL or Wireless? Mac or PC? (don't even think of saying PC) Digital cable or satellite? Destktop or laptop?
Having so many choice to make in our everyday lives can make us feel entitled to having just as many choices with the major decisions in our life. I guess there is nothing wrong with having so many choices in those major decisions, but for me it often serves nothing more as an excuse to put the decision off.
I am looking at five different schools right now. I'll be visiting two next week - one in KC and the other in St. Louis. Neither I'm that excited about, because the other two have the better degrees I want. But they are far, far way from home. So I have a choice: What will make me happier? Being only four hours away from my friends and family while I go to seminary or move to Virginia to go to school that has a great degree and comes highly recommended by someone I admire the most in this world?
Overchoice. It's not a bad thing. But is it really a good thing?
Ten years ago (almost to the day) I read this passage in 2 Peter:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 5-8)
From that point on, I knew that God's will for my life wasn't always going to be something specific and concrete. I understood that God's will for my life was to add to my faith goodness, to goodness, knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to that kindness, love.
These attributes will help me make the big and small choices in my life, but more importantly, they will help me enjoy the journey that I'm on right now.
I am blessed to have these choices. Not many do. So why am I whining? Because I have the option to. Sad, really.
What I'm listening to: Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars
Tall or grande? Non-fat or low fat? Quality or quantity? Chicken or fish? DSL or Wireless? Mac or PC? (don't even think of saying PC) Digital cable or satellite? Destktop or laptop?
Having so many choice to make in our everyday lives can make us feel entitled to having just as many choices with the major decisions in our life. I guess there is nothing wrong with having so many choices in those major decisions, but for me it often serves nothing more as an excuse to put the decision off.
I am looking at five different schools right now. I'll be visiting two next week - one in KC and the other in St. Louis. Neither I'm that excited about, because the other two have the better degrees I want. But they are far, far way from home. So I have a choice: What will make me happier? Being only four hours away from my friends and family while I go to seminary or move to Virginia to go to school that has a great degree and comes highly recommended by someone I admire the most in this world?
Overchoice. It's not a bad thing. But is it really a good thing?
Ten years ago (almost to the day) I read this passage in 2 Peter:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 5-8)
From that point on, I knew that God's will for my life wasn't always going to be something specific and concrete. I understood that God's will for my life was to add to my faith goodness, to goodness, knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness and to that kindness, love.
These attributes will help me make the big and small choices in my life, but more importantly, they will help me enjoy the journey that I'm on right now.
I am blessed to have these choices. Not many do. So why am I whining? Because I have the option to. Sad, really.
What I'm listening to: Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars
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