Decision/consequences

I visited my place of birth some weeks back and stumbled upon some of my old pictures. As I flipped through forgotten photos from my early days. I could see how innocent and unperturbed I was (maybe I still am). I was even cute! And yet, I would spend so much time obsessing about what was wrong with me. How often do I wake up and go through the day, missing what is in front of me? During these years, I made several decisions most of which I wish I didn’t. But now I realise those decisions are what made me who I am today. As Viktor Frankl said, “Live as if you were living already for the second time, and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!” This doesn’t just apply to big moral choices you must make. This may just be the choice to be happy and appreciate your breath.

If you could go back to a younger age, knowing what you know today, how would you have done things differently to be further ahead than you are now? Hindsight always is clearer than foresight. Many of us can think of things we wish we had done differently in order to be better off today. Every decision or action has a reward or recompense.

When the Lord comes, He comes with a reward for us. Rewards by simple definition are good things. We tend to think of rewards in materialistic terms. However, we know that God is bringing something far better than materialistic things. The Lord is also bringing something else with Him: recompense. And this recompense is to precede the reward part.

Our lives and how we live them are open advertisements of the beauty of following Jesus. How we live now matters for all eternity. We are building our lives on our faith in Christ, lives that will continue to serve His purposes in His eternal kingdom. This short earthly life is a training ground for our eternal assignment. After placing our trust in Christ, the next important thing in a believer’s life is discovering his or her place of serving others.

If you have not discovered how you are gifted to serve others in the name of the Lord, begin that journey toady. Speak to a mature Christian or pastor and share your heart’s desires. Explore different opportunities to serve. Be willing to learn and grow. Remember you are building a life that will last forever.