THE CHOICE IS YOURS- MAKE IT COUNT
Life is filled with choices. Every day, all day, you make choices. The quality of your life is dependent upon the choices you make. One bad choice can land you in prison for the rest of your life, or worse, on death row. One of the most important choices you make is the friends you choose to spend time with, and how you react to what others do.
There’s a story in the Bible about a teenager named Joseph. He was the kind of person who chose to take the high road no matter what happened to him. Joseph always knew that God had a special purpose for his life. He was his father’s favorite child. Because of this, his brothers hated him. One day, his brothers sold him into slavery and told their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. Joseph was taken to another country. The wife of the man who purchased Joseph told her husband that Joseph tried to rape her. Joseph was thrown into prison. While in prison, he interpreted a dream for a man who promised to help him later. The man forgot his promise. Joseph took the high road in every situation. He never talked about his brothers. He never talked about the woman who lied on him. He never talked about the man who forgot his promise. Two years passed and the king needed someone to interpret his dream. The man remembered Joseph and told the king about him. Joseph was taken from the prison to the king’s palace. The king was so impressed with Joseph’s ability to interpret dreams that he eventually made him second in command. The most important thing about this story is that God never forgot Joseph. If you have suffered because of the actions of others, God has not forgotten you. If you continue to take the high road, one day you will be taken from trouble to victory.
Joseph suffered because of other people’s wrongs. He still took the high road. He was promoted because he always made the right choice. He didn’t allow others to think for him. He didn’t allow the actions of others to change him from who he was born to be. It was all about choices.
If you choose friends who have no respect for the law or other people, they are headed for trouble and will drag you along with them. It’s better to have a few people angry with you for “ditching” them than to be angry with them for leading you into trouble that will affect you for the rest of your life. Crime does not pay, and friendship does not go to prison with you. It ends when you are arrested. A real friend will help you live a better life. Don’t settle for anything less.
