choices

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In An Instant Things Changed

Some things take a long time to develop, but there are other things that can change in an instant.

In an instant things changed

When you see a river with all its turns and bends, you know it has taken decades for that shape to develop. You also know that in twenty or thirty years there will be new bends in that river. The changes will happen very slowly. 

This is also true in politics. When a policy or bill is passed, it often takes a great amount of time before we see the impact of that legislation. So much time passes that when the outcome occurs we often don’t even connect it back to what was voted on.

On the other hand, some things happen incredibly fast and the impact is realized in an instant. 

A car accident is like that. One little distraction, one slip of the hand, a heavy foot on the gas pedal or brake and impact occurs. 

The other day I was playing hockey and things changed for me in an instant. I had brought the puck into the opposition’s zone and then passed the puck to a trailing teammate. At that point, I coasted along the boards down toward the net. I saw my teammate’s shot and that the puck was going in the direction of the net. 

But then, out of nowhere, I saw the puck about an inch from my face just before it hit my lower lip.

I learned later that the shot hit the goalie’s pad and he deflected it to the side, right when I was cruising by. It stopped when it hit my face.

Immediately I took off my glove and put my hand to my mouth. When I removed it, I saw the blood. It was flowing. I knew I was not dealing with just a scrape. 

I put my hand back to my mouth to keep the blood from drenching my jersey and the ice while I made my way to the dressing room.

Fortunately it was minor; just my bottom front teeth went into my lip. I was able to stop the bleeding. And the end result was just a sore jaw and a few cuts on the inside of my now swollen, bruised lip.

What amazed me was how things changed in an instant. I didn’t see it coming; it happened so fast and the impact was immediate. 

What a contrast to the things in life that take so long to develop that we think they have always been there. 

Either way, whether things happen over a long time or in an instant, we need to pay attention because the impact may cause some degree of discomfort. 

Here’s the thing: Life rolls along year after year, decade after decade. We make choices, decisions and deals that cause our life to take a certain shape. Mostly things develop slowly over time. We might not even pay attention to the direction in which we are heading. But there comes a time when things will change in an instant. That will be the moment we die. The impact will be immediate and if you’ve been lulled by many years of much of the same, you might not be ready to face God.

In that instant it will be too late to make a change or make the right move. It’s far better to consider God’s offer now and live accordingly. God’s offer is Jesus, who died for our sins, will take our sin away and put us in right standing with God. Put your faith in Jesus and allow Him to help shape the rest of your life. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How well have you handled those events that happen in an instant and make an immediate impact? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Torn Between Two Choices. Which One Will Win?

Have you ever been torn, wanted to be in two places at the same time? Well, I sure have, and it seems to be happening every fall now. 

torn between two choices. which one will win?

My wife, Lily, and I closed up our cottage earlier than ever this year. For several years we closed it the week after Canadian Thanksgiving, the second Sunday in October. But the last few years it’s been the first weekend in October. This year it was the last few days of September. 

That seems crazy early to me, especially when the sun is shining and it’s still 23 degrees Celsius during the day. When you can walk on the beach and be greeted by a sunset like this picture almost every night, it’s tough to leave it all behind.

My first impulse is to squeeze every ounce of summer-like weather out of the fall and there is no better place to be for that than at our cottage.

It should be a simple decision of when the weather starts to turn, you close up and say goodbye until the spring. 

I remember going to college in another province and when school ended I had no problem packing up my belongings and turning my back on Regina for the summer. But there was really nothing to keep me there, nothing I felt I would be missing out on when I left. 

Leaving my cottage behind is a different story. 

I want to be there. I like the relaxed atmosphere of a beach town, the walks on the sand and up the strip, maybe with a stop at the ice cream shop for a scoop of black cherry on a sugar cone.

Though I want to be there, and though I miss so much there, home is calling and I also want to be there. 

Much of what is happening at home could wait till the weather turns sour at Sauble. But one thing at home seems to be starting earlier and earlier. 

It’s hockey season. 

Though the NHL season doesn’t start until the first week of October, my hockey starts the first week of September. And to make matters worse, the OHL Kingston Frontenacs team that I’m the chaplain of start tryouts and preseason at the end of August. 

I feel torn between being home and being at the cottage because if I’m enjoying an incredible sunset I’m also missing out on playing hockey with my team. 

Have you ever had to choose like that? … Suppose you were with your family for the weekend, let’s just say Thanksgiving weekend. You’re having a good time with everyone; everything is going well.

Then on the last day you get a text. You had planned a family pickleball match before everyone went their separate ways. However, the text is an invitation to watch a Toronto Blue Jays playoff game … sitting in box seats. 

Now that’s being torn. Do you bail on the family game and go to the Blue Jays game. Or do you say no to the tickets? 

Tough decision, right? 

Well, that’s how I was torn between the cottage and home. Hockey won, that’s all I can say. 

Here’s the thing: God wants you to be part of His family for all eternity. But it comes with a choice. By faith will you believe that Jesus died and rose again to pay for your sins, or will you trust in your own self for your future? You may be torn in making that decision, but eternity is a long time. For me, being part of God’s family is the best choice to make. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are the big choices you are torn between making? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Too Many Things Means I Have To Make More Choices

Spring is a time when I have too many things to do – a statement most people could probably make all year long. 

too many things means I have to make more choices

But I’m not talking about work or all the things that I am pressured to accomplish. I just have too many things I want to do right now.

Now that spring weather is fully on us, I have a hard time deciding what to do on my day off. I have too many options and I can’t do them all. 

It’s sort of like going into a candy store with too many options of what to buy. You have to sort out what you feel like eating right then. Do you want chocolate, and if you do there are all kinds of options. Will it be a Big Turk or a Kit Kat? Those are very different bars. 

Maybe you don’t feel like chocolate. Rather you have a hankering for some candy. But what kind of candy? Licorice? Mike and Ikes? Or maybe some Sour Patch (sweet and sour candies)?

There are so many options that it’s sometimes hard to decide which way to go. 

When it comes to the things I want to do on my day off, sometimes the decision-making process takes too long. It can take so long that I have to scrap one or two things I had wanted to do because I no longer have the time to do them. 

I find I don’t schedule my activities on my day off in the same way I schedule my work day. 

At work I have a time frame in which I will work on a particular task or assignment. When the time is up, I move on to the next task. But on my day off I just have a list of things I want to do. If something takes longer than I thought, I might not get to those other things I wanted to do. 

This is especially an issue in the spring because I want to do all the things I haven’t been able to do throughout the winter. 

Like today for instance, I want to go mountain biking, I want to fly my drone, I want to edit a video I’ve been working on … and I have two things I don’t want to do but have to get moving on.

If I go mountain biking, that will take two and a half hours. With the other things I must do, it will not leave me enough time to fly my drone. 

Some time later … 

I got interrupted by an unexpected visitor and, of course, that pushed back the finishing of this blog. Then it started to rain. 

So no biking and no droning today. I guess my circumstances have narrowed what I can do. I’ll work on video editing and one task I really don’t want to do but must. 

Sometimes your choices for what you will get to do are decided for you and there’s nothing you can do about that. 

Here’s the thing: If you want to spend time with God, you have to schedule that time. But more precisely, you have to schedule it so that nothing can crowd out that time with God. For me that’s the first part of my day. It’s the first thing I do before anything can interrupt me. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What interrupts your schedule more than anything else? Leave your comments and questions below. 

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