choices

I won't go into much detail out of respect for my husbands family, but there has been a discussion surrounding my in-laws decision to not own a cell phone and us kids (all of cams siblings) wanting them to get one. You see, my father-in-law has diabetes and my mother-in-law doesn't drive. Therefore, if they were on the road and there was an emergency where my FIL needed medical help asap, MIL couldn't help what-so-ever! Their oulook is that they have gone 37+ years without a cell and therefore, do not need it. God will be with them, they have faith and that's all they need.

Now, I am a christian just like my in-laws and extended in-law family, and I absolutely believe that God is with us and that God hears our prayers and that we should have faith in Him alone. I also believe, and hence the title of this post, that we make choices that dictate the outcome of our lives. I believe that my grandfather got cancer and died at 79 because he smoked and his choice to smoke caused the cancer to develop, grow and kill him. I know that my grandfather was a God fearing man, I know that he prayed and had a stronger faith than most men I know. I believe that God allows us to make choices for ourselves, and if those choices walk us down a road of suffering and death, then God will be there giving us peace and holding our hands while we suffer. But I do not believe that God will always take that suffering away, we made our choices, we walk our own roads, we get the benefit of having Him (God) there with us along the way. The same is true of my grandmother who ate herself into diabetes and heart disease and then died from a stroke. She made the decisions that lead her down that road and God was with her willingly to the end. She was also a God fearing woman, she also prayed fiercely and full heartidly. It was her actions that caused the outcomes in her life.

I understand where my in-laws are coming from, but I believe that if they continue to choose to not protect themselves with something as simple as a cell phone for "just in case" then when that emergency happens (and it will because shit happens in life). The outcome of that emergency will be reflective of the decisions they made. God will be there holding their hands with them, but I am not sure that God will deliver them from the outcome.

This whole debate has got me thinking a lot about the decisions I am making in my own life and what am I chosing to do that could lead me down a path I do not wish to walk in the future. Am I eating myself into sickness and disease? I already have a list of conditions I suffer from that I do not want to see grow larger. What if I chose to make changes? What would those changes look like, and I actually sit down and listen what is God going to ask me to do to better my life? The life He has so graciously granted to me. 

It's food for thought, that's for sure. Do not judge me on my theology, I may hold a diploma from a Christian Institution but I am not a theologist. You may agree or not, that is entirely up to you. I just hope that you take a moment to analyze your own choices and be at peace with them and their outcomes.

Blessings, N.