Voices and choices

by Peter Butler

When I wrote our home education curriculum it incorporated what I consider an essential foundation stone. A lifestyle must surely include the integration of every aspect of daily living. You cannot put different issues into little boxes with an appropriate label, and then apply differing standards and values to their implementation. To do so will produce inconsistencies, double standards and hypocrisy. The societal attitudes of the present day however, would suggest that this need not be too much of a concern. After all, absolutes seem to have little impact on many people’s lives because the “Absolute” Himself has been dethroned, relegated to a back seat, completely ignored or completely forgotten, leaving the “marvels” of secular humanism to solve the world’s problems. I believe that all of life issues have their answers in the one and only Creator and Saviour God. I respect anyone’s right to disagree with this, but if so, with what will it be replaced?

I have voiced my unshakeable beliefs and their importance in determining lifestyles, but my voice, and others like mine, will be joined by thousands more all clamouring to be heard, because they all claim to have the answers people are looking for. So I’m going to make some quite blunt observations:

 

In the world today – the world you and I live in – it is so easy to “drown” in words.

What is in front of you now, is an attempt to help you see these things unfold at a glance, little by little.

In so doing, if I happen to tread on any of your pet “corns” please forgive me, but sometimes through “pain” we do actually experience “gain”!

 

Every morning when you and I wake up to a new day, we face the clamour of dozens of “voices” – maybe hundreds of them – all trying their best to be heard.

There will be people, the news media, advertising in various forms, as well as the latest in technology, churning out silent or noisy subliminal messaging.

It’s a fact of life.

You and I know it’s true.

Check it out and you’ll probably be amazed at how intrusive it is.

 

Who do you and I listen to?

Do we accept it, or do we seek to exercise some control over it?

How much are we influenced by it?

How much does it impact on our lifestyles?

These questions require some honest thought if the answers are going to be worth anything.

VOICES do affect our CHOICES!

AND THAT CAN BE SCARY.

Put that in the context of the different stages of development throughout life – childhood, adolescence, young adulthood through to mid and old age groups.

 

You and I have to decide how we will make our choices.

We have at least these 4 main options:

1. Willingly go with the flow, bowing to peer group pressures, etc 2. Allow others to make our choices for us, (bearing in mind that we’ll probably squeal like mad if we don’t like the outcomes). 3. Waffle. Procrastinate. Be inconsistent, and guilty of double standards. Weak willed, etc. 4. Be different and swim against the flow – which is never easy.

 

How important is informed choice?

Before making a decision, do you and I ask enough questions so that doubts are eliminated and replaced with the certainty and strength of convictions?

There is always the danger of being “talked into” making choices because of the deceptiveness of so many of the voices constantly bombarding us!

It is easy to be worn down – the constant drip that wears away the stone.

 

How do you and I deal with the “what ifs” of life?

In other words, how do we cope when things don’t go according to what we would like?

Do we have a solid “well-anchored” foundation that will withstand the storms of life, or is our foundation as insecure as sand, easily eroded or constantly shifting?

Will the “voices” we have listened to when making our choices, be adequately supportive when things go wrong?

These are crunch questions that really need to be answered. If they’re not, then what?

 

Only you know how you’ve dealt with questions such as those above.

I know how I’ve answered them, and I know that my foundation won’t let me down. Can you say the same with similar conviction and assurance?

Every area of our lifestyles needs to be covered. Check out the main ones below: v Relationships (including that with God) v Morality’s values and standards

·         Education 

·         Health 

·         Leisure, entertainment, etc. 

·         Finances – work and income, budgeting, savings.

 

Obviously that one big question will not go away. “How do I know which voices to listen to?”

So many seem plausible, persuasive, and “right”…

And yet so many seem to contradict each other…

There always seem to be “new” voices talking about the latest technologies and exciting breakthroughs….

I get so confused…

I feel like everything is so complicated…

Who has the wisdom to provide answers?

History comes up with the name of King Solomon. We’re probably familiar with the expression : The Wisdom of Solomon.

OK. Here is some of his advice and from my experience it’s worth heeding:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths…”

The little, but very important word “ALL” appears twice.

We are to acknowledge the Creator, Saviour God in ALL our ways.

Not some of lifestyle issues, but ALL of them.