Brown Sunset Scene copyright © Beverley Lu Latter  2002 - 2006 http://www.beverleylu.com/ Used with permission. CHOICES Everything you do in life is a choice, so choose well! "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction." Deuteronomy 30:15 ( NIV)           Did you eat breakfast this morning, or did you decide to skip it?  Did you call in sick because you went to bed late last night and didn't feel like getting out of bed this morning?           Did you speak a kind word to your spouse or child, or were you so busy getting ready that you didn't say anything to them?  When you went out shopping, did you use some restraint and pass up charging that item you just "had to have" but don't really need, or did you buy it anyway?           Have you ever stopped to realize that everything you do in life is a choice?  Even when you decide to do nothing about a situation, you are still making that choice.           Each day you choose how you are going to spend your money.  You decide whether or not to nurture a relationship.  You determine if you want to stay at the job you hate, or move on to one you might like.  You make choices regarding your health by what you eat, or don't eat.  And you decide to bear grudges against people or circumstances rather than let go of all the negativity you feel.           God has a lot to say about choice.  We can make a choice that brings life  -  in other words work toward a positive outcome  -  or we can choose death  -  which results in negativity and fosters outcomes that bring pain and misery....  God says it's up to us.           It's true that often times, life throws you some things that are unfair.  But how you handle it is a choice you make.           "Choosing life"  is to pursue your God-given dreams:  to foster a close relationship with God, to treat people with kindness  -  even when it hurts, to develop beauty both inside and out, to give up a mediocre lifestyle and pursue excellence in all that you do.           The power to choose is a God-given gift to help you live out your dreams.  You don't have to take giant leaps of faith.  You can start by doing small things first.  That, oftentimes, gives you the courage to make a bigger step.           Why not pray and ask God what new choices you can make?  Pray for His help in combating some of the destructive consequences from making unhealthy ones. (c)Annettee Budzban (ahrtwrites2u@aol.com) by way of Eternal_Ink (Mary Ellen Grisham - meginrose@charter.net) and “Christian Voices” (CVWorldwide@wmconnect.com)    Midi by Dolphin's Dream Art & Music Used With Permission.