We Have No Choice of What Color-Daily Meditation-9.7.22

Today’s quotation:

We have no choice of what color we’re born or who our parents are or whether we’re rich or poor.  What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we’re here.-Mildred Taylor

Today’s Meditation:

This is a refreshing perspective, a great departure from much of the “victim” talk that we hear so often in life.  Many people like to think that everything in their life is a result of forces that have “conspired” against them.  They’ve been born into a certain family, so they’ll never be wealthy.  They’ve been born a certain race or gender or personality type, so “society” will never let them advance in the direction in which they wish to advance.
  
Historically speaking, of course, such limitations have been more likely in many people’s lives.  There are certain careers that women could not aspire to three hundred years ago; two hundred years ago in America, an African-American man or woman could not aspire to do many things.  But one of the most important tricks in life is to recognize and accept certain limitations and then find your life’s directions with those limitations in mind.  I would love to be a singer, but my voice isn’t very good and I don’t have the coordination to play instruments well; I’ve found other things to do that are just as fulfilling to me, though, and I don’t worry about not being a singer.
  
This world is full of opportunity.  Sometimes opportunity requires us to make sacrifices or to change places where we live; sometimes opportunity can be intimidating and keep us from seeking it out because it involves a certain amount of risk.

But if we do make the decision to avoid the risk, it’s also important to keep in mind that in avoiding the risk, it’s our choice to neglect the opportunity that is there behind the risk.  It’s not because of our race or gender or religion, but because of a decision that we’ve made.  Let’s not make victims of ourselves–we may not take every risk that comes along, but that’s not life’s choice for us–it’s our choice for ourselves.

Questions to consider:

What do you want to make of your life?  What are you doing now to make that come true?

What choices are you facing in the near future?  What will those choices mean for you and your loved ones?

How can we tell which choices will be good for us?

For further thought:

The greatest power God gave us is the power to choose.  We have the opportunity to choose whether we’re going to act or procrastinate, believe or doubt, pray or curse, help or heal.  We also choose whether we’re going to be happy or whether we’re going to be sad.-Lou Holtz