Choices

The last two months have been a whirlwind of activity in my life. Here are just a few things that have taken place:

• I walked in my first Susan G. Komen breast cancer walk
• Lost a friend to a pulmonary embolism
• Returned to a church for the first time that we had left under difficult circumstances
• Restored a friendship
• Saw my all-time favorite band in concert (Casting Crowns)
• Got a clean bill of health from my oncologist
• Started teaching a home school co-op class to 36 kids
• Continued working out six days a week and homeschooling my own two children.

Wow, just putting it on paper makes me tired.

I realize more and more that it is the decisions you make every day that shape your life. And, a busy life is no excuse to stall or fall off your path to health. One of the most important life lessons I have learned is that every day, you make choices, and they are not always easy. Sometimes choices are made for you which are out of your control. For example, two weeks ago, I was only able to work out two times through no fault of my own. On the following Monday morning, when the alarm went off at 4:30 am, the last thing I wanted to do was get up and go workout. If it wasn't for the encouragement and prodding of my husband (who also didn't really want to get up either since he had missed the entire week at the gym), I would not have gone.

At the gym I felt so sluggish and had a horrible workout. My only consolation was that my husband was a lazy slug that day at the gym. If not for the accountability and fear of my family's karate sensei, I would not have gone to aerobics that day either. Then it hit my like a ton of bricks. This is how people can easily fall off their path to health. It really wouldn't have taken me much more to fall off mine. It only takes a few days of bad choices to ruin a long run of good ones. I was sharing this with Sensei Richard and he said something very profound, "In life as well as exercise, you can't bank things. You have to make deposits each and every day." Wow, he was right. I know there will be days when choices are made for me that are out of my control, but it is ultimately my responsibility to stay the path long-term.

This week, I have made some really good decisions as well as horrible ones. But, I know that I need to get up each morning, and with God's help, try to make the right decisions for my path. I heard a new song this week and felt God was sending me an encouraging note to keep me on my path. I wanted to share a few lines with you. The song is from Sidewalk Prophets and says:

Be strong in the Lord, and never give up hope.

You're going to do great things, I already know.

God's got His hand on you, so don't live in fear,

Forgive and forget, but don't forget why you're here.

Take your time and pray.

Thank God for each day.

And His love will find a way.

So don't let a few bad decisions throw you off the path God has set you on.