Choices

As I was driving down a country road yesterday, I saw a tattered old man standing close to the road. Naturally I slowed down my driving - and as I rode by, I was shocked to see that it was not in fact an old man, but an old classmate of mine. If you didn't know him, you would easily guess him to be older than his years. Looking at this man today, you would never put us together in any social situation. Ever. The truth is, years ago, he was a big part of our lives. Rex and I double dated with him many a night. We were at his wedding. We were there when he brought his first child into this world. We spent a lot of time together with cookouts and getting the kids together to play. He was a close friend to my husband. In his field of work, he was the best and was in high demand - at least that is what Rex has always said. He had a loving wife and a beautiful family. Life should have been good. What went wrong? Choices. He would make choices that were not conducive to a good family life. Years ago, I can remember telling Rex that this classmate was messing up when he would make a choice to go off to do his own thing rather than going to the ball field to watch his child play ball. I can remember story after story that Rex would tell me about this classmate. His choices took him to places that I can not even imagine. To a life that most people can't even imagine. Choices that made even his very best friends not to trust him anymore or even want to be around him. Choices that cost him his family. He had it all, only to throw it away by the choices he made.

It is easy to judge this guy. I mean, he had it all - but when I looked at him, my heart was filled with compassion for him. Nobody in their right mind would make conscious choice to lose their family. Lose their friends. Lose their job. Nobody wakes up and decides that today is the day that I am going to throw it all away. No, it starts out small. Those small bad choices lead into bigger bad choices and before you know it, you are in over your head. That is just the way sin is. Sin always takes you further than you wanted to go, keeps you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay.

When I passed him on the road, our eyes connected. He recognized me and waved. As I drove on, I tried to figure out how he got to where he was. He came from a loving and caring family. What drives a person to take a road filled with bad choices? I don't know, but I do know this: it is ONLY by the grace of God that none of us are in this man's shoes. Sometimes, our pride can come in and make us feel like we are doing everything right, but the truth is, anybody can fall. Nobody is exempt from making a few bad choices that can cost us ever thing that is dear to our hearts.

So the next time you see a person that looks like they have lost it all...be extra kind. They are not just another homeless person, they are some body's child, husband, father....and some body's long lost friend.

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
Deuteronomy 30:19b