Most of life isn’t changed by one dramatic moment—it’s shaped by a steady stream of choices. Some are loud and obvious, like where you live or what job you take. But many are quiet: what you say when you’re irritated, what you do when nobody’s watching, what you turn to when you’re tired, lonely or under pressure.
Choices may feel small in the moment, but they have a way of gathering strength. A single decision becomes a direction. A direction becomes a destination.
We see this principle all through everyday life. A person chooses to save a little each week, and months later there’s stability. Another chooses to spend without thinking, and suddenly there’s stress. Someone chooses to apologize and a relationship begins to heal. Someone else chooses pride and distance grows. The difference between peace and chaos is often found in a handful of repeated decisions.
The same is true spiritually.
The Bible is filled with people who stood at crossroads. Joshua famously challenged the people of Israel, “choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). He wasn’t asking for a vague feeling or a temporary emotion— he was calling for a clear decision. Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and pressed the issue: if the Lord be God, follow Him (1 Kings 18:21). Scripture doesn’t pretend neutrality is harmless. In spiritual matters, refusing to choose is still a choice.
One of the most sobering truths is that we often become what we choose. When someone consistently chooses bitterness, they don’t just have bitterness— they become a bitter person. When someone chooses forgiveness, they become freer than they used to be. When someone chooses truth, integrity grows. When someone chooses compromise again and again, the conscience dulls and what once felt wrong starts to feel normal.
But there is hope in this: if choices can shape us in the wrong direction, they can also shape us in the right direction.
You may not be able to change yesterday’s decisions, but you can choose what you do with today. You can choose to be honest. Choose to start over. Choose to make the phone call. Choose to forgive. Choose to pray. Choose to open the Word of God. Choose to attend church faithfully. Choose to stop feeding what’s destroying you and start feeding what’s strengthening you.
And if you’re reading this and you know the biggest choice still hasn’t been made—the choice of what you will do with Jesus Christ—then nothing else matters more. Many choices affect your comfort, your finances or your relationships. But this one affects your eternity.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Salvation isn’t earned by good deeds or church membership; it is received by faith—by turning to Christ. That decision isn’t just religious. It’s personal. It’s urgent.
Life is full of choices, but the greatest choice is choosing Christ.
And for those who already know Him, the question becomes: will we choose Him daily? Will we choose obedience over convenience, worship over distractions, conviction over compromise?
Because in the end, we won’t be remembered for what we intended—we’ll be marked by what we chose.
Today is a gift. Use it well. Choose wisely.
Jimmy Barrett is a resident of Blackshear and pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Waycross.
