Inching Along Until Our Wise Choices Outnumber the Not-so-Wise

I’ve fallen off the train. Again. The fall itself wasn’t all that painful, but the staying behind until I’d lost sight of the train has taken its toll. Rather than making one poor choice, I’ve made many. And though I’m fully aware of my poor choices, I don’t care to do anything about them. I’ve succumbed to their pull. I’ve yielded to their power. I’ve allowed them to beat me. And that’s what really hurts.

My body, achy and inflamed. The numbers on the scale, climbing steadily. Yet, I refuse to come to my senses. I continue spiraling downward – unwilling to apply the brakes – knowing a crash is inevitable if I keep to this course. But how do I turn myself around when I’m so far gone? How do I catch up? How do I hop back on board? Doing so will require surrender and resolve – to do what I should be doing; to live how I should be living. Honestly, I’m not sure I have it in me, yet I know I must try.

This journey to better living is sometimes filled with detours, dead-ends and deep ditches.  Life happens and the best of intentions fail. We fall victim to the stress brought on by our circumstances, allowing it to prevail. To cause us to slip back into old routines. To the easier, more convenient, less healthy habits we’ve practiced much of our lives.

Yes, sometimes we fall off the train – and sometimes we knowingly jump off – seizing every indulgence within our grasp with little regard for how far we’ve come. Nothing else matters in those moments but the fleeting pleasures, all of which eventually lose their luster and leave us with a stark reality. For me, that reality takes the form of achiness, pain and weight gain, not to mention a heavy load of frustration and disappointment. I wonder, friend, can you relate?

But there is beauty in new beginnings. In second chances. In do-overs. In the truth that our current reality doesn’t have to be our lasting reality. Yes, perhaps it is time for change. Time to remind ourselves that regardless of how many new starts we’ve used up, there are more available to us. That with each fresh sunrise, God’s unfailing love and unending grace abound toward us.  And if we’ll invite Him into our lives, into our days, into each new morning, He’ll show us the way to victory.

So, sweet friend, each day brings with it a choice. Will we choose to walk differently? To renew our minds and take action? To soak in the Scriptures and rely on God’s strength working in us?

It will not be easy, but it will be doable. It matters not who finishes first. It simply matters that we all get there. Whether the pace is slow or fast, steady or erratic – we keep inching forward until we make it. Until our wise choices outnumber the not-so-wise. Until we once again catch sight of our train and hop back on track.

Friend, what small steps will you take today to position you for victory? What scriptures will you hold dear in your quest for mind renewal? What safeguards will you put in place to keep from stumbling? Please share in the comments those things you find helpful in getting on track and staying on track. Let’s encourage one another as we continue on our journeys to better. Be blessed!

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Psalm 143:8 (NLT)

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