Visions of Gratitude

I imagine that there are many of us who view life with anticipation but with large doses of reluctance as well. The choices we make, great and small, have profound effects on the people we become as well as the impact we have on those that surround us. 

Decisions never seem to elude us. Every day we wake up and stare at our kitchen cupboard wondering between the menu choices of cereal or toast. We sit in our respective classes or professions staring at the tasks we have at hand and wonder "What happens if all this goes wrong?" Or how about something a little more long term. "If I study this career will it get me to where I want to go?" or "Is he / she the one I've been waiting for all of my life?" These questions as well as many more have occupied my mind over the last few days. As a result, one particular question has frequently come back to me:

"With boundless opportunity around every corner, what causes the reluctance that accompanies every decision?"

My Answer: Vision. Allow me to elaborate.

How many of us can see the consequences of the decisions we make? I certainly cannot nor do I believe there is a person in this world who can. Humankind, by our nature, seek for the things they can see and approach with skepticism  the things they cannot. Little do many understand that the most firm things we have in this life are those that we cannot necessarily see. This is hard for many to understand simply because they have not decided to accept the unseen truth. My friends, there lies a power much greater than ourselves that, quite frankly, I cannot fully explain nor can I persuade you to believe. Believe me, I tried to do it full time for a couple of years and not everyone thought the same way.

To illustrate my point, here is a little exercise for all those who are reading. I want you to think about the most difficult, heart wrenching, make-you-cry-your-eyes-out experience that you have had. What made it so hard? What led up to it? What happened afterwards? How did you cope with it? What did you learn? What did you gain? Where would you be without it? Did or do you regret it and try and sweep it under the rug or let it become a part of you?

Now for the big question: "Considering the above thoughts, what would you have lost if you saw the results beforehand and decided not to go through with it?"

On this special day, I am so incredibly grateful for the moments I have had when I was bent over or brought to my knees to seek help from someone I have never seen but know is there. I am grateful for the gift of choice; to NOT see the road ahead and still take seemingly gigantic steps into the unknown fog of the future. I am grateful for the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for the lessons I learn from the challenges I face each and every day.

Visions of gratitude stand before us every minute of every day. Let us take our eyes off the rocks of disbelief and cast them on the incredible possibilities that lie before us.

Roll On --Andrew