Choices

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that unearned suffering is redemptive. What he meant by this is that there is great value found in the suffering of the righteous. When you are within the will of God yet find yourself pushing the through the lone winds of suffering, there is a powerful force working within that struggle to manifest blessings, prosperity, and maturation through the process of struggle. The Apostle Paul said, "...I consider that the current sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to glory that will be revealed in us." (Rom. 8:18) and "Our light and temporary afflictions are working out for a us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory." (2 Cor 4:17)

What I have learned though is that a great deal of our sufferings are not unearned. If fact, we have purchased our sufferings with our foolish decisions. I see so many that question why they are facing so much difficulty and hardship and the answer is simple, foolish decisions exacerbated by more foolish decisions.

Dr. Rick Wallace

My grandmother used to have a saying that said, "Sometimes bought sense is better than borrowed." What she meant by that is sometimes it takes a person making a mistake and suffering the consequences on their own actions to actually learn a particular lesson, in comparison to hearing the advice of someone that has already overcame that particular issue. I know that I have purchased my fair share of struggles through wayward choices, but what really baffles me are those that not only ignore the advice of others, but even after getting knocked in the head, they continue to make bad choice and after bad choice. Then they scratch their head in confusion as to why bad things keep happening.


At some point you are going to have to stop pointing the finger and take an introspective look within to address those internal issues that are at the root of your incessant failures. Too often the decision to choose expediency over common sense has claimed lives, careers, marriages, reputations and more. It is time to own your mess and make the changes necessary to rise above the mess that is your life. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace