Pitch Perfect:Make Good Choices

choices 2Make good choices. This was a line taken out of the movie Pitch Perfect, when a young college student told her staggering, drunken friend at a frat party. It was funny when she said it. As I recall, the next morning her friend didn’t make a good choice that night.

Right now, you are young, bold and brazen. Afraid of nothing and acting out without shame. You have the yoke of youth. Being inquisitive and opinionated strengthens your shoulders. Having the desire to know and learn new things, all while expressing strong beliefs and judgments about everything. Many of you are going off to high school, college or getting your first apartment or staring your first job.

As a young adult, you may think:

  • My entire life is in front of me.
  • I have all the time in the world.
  • I am invincible.
  • I am smarter than my parents.
  • My parents don’t understand.
  • I will not make the mistakes of my parents.
  • My generation matters.
  • I’m in love.
  • No one is going to tell me what to do.
  • I got this.
  • It could never happen to me.
  • It’s time to party.

We were all young and can relate to some or all of these proclamations. As parents, guardians or your social leaders, we’ve seen, heard and experienced things that altered our lives. Some of the changes promising, while others discouraging. At one time, the above statements energized, but as life happened, the energy faded into reality.

  • My entire life is in front of me until you had unprotected sex with one night stands and now have AIDS.
  • I have all the time in the world until you were with the wrong crowd, they committed a crime and now you are in prison for being an accessory.
  • I am smarter than my parents until you grasped the concept they went to college, received degrees and brought home healthy salaries and you ditched college and you’re making minimum wage.
  • My parents don’t understand until you discovered they did understand that’s why they tried to warn you about life and you refused to listen.
  • I will not make the mistakes of my parents until you realized you made bigger or more life threatening mistakes because of your stubbornness.
  • My generation will matter until you recognized the devil has deceived your generation and robbed you all of your identity, nothing seems to matter.
  • I’m in love until you become pregnant and the father abandons you.
  • No one is going to tell me what to do until you found yourself in an abusive relationship and every move you make is dictated.
  • I got this until the drug experimentation leads into addiction. Now the addiction has you.
  • It could never happen to me until it did.
  • It’s time to party until you identified that’s all you do and years slipped away.
  • I am invincible until you learned life has defeated you for lacking the knowledge to win the battles of life.

Listen to your parents. If you don’t have parents, God is your Almighty Father, you are never without a parent. He will teach you through His Word.

Please listen to your parents, guardians or spiritual leaders, if you don’t have them, listen to God working through me.

20 My son, keep your father’s [God-given] commandment and forsake not the law of [God] your mother [taught you].

21 Bind them continually upon your heart and tie them about your neck.

22 When you go, they [the words of your parents’ God] shall lead you; when you sleep, they shall keep you; and when you waken, they shall talk with you. Proverbs 6:20-22Amplified Bible (AMP)

Avenues of Awareness

Reflection Road

  • Do you have a plan in life? Or are you taking each day at a time? Is that really working for you?
  • Did you have a plan and some unforeseen event happened and your plan didn’t happen? Did you run away? Did you start a new plan? Did you ask God what plan He has for your life? Remember, your plan may differ from God’s plan for you. That may be why your plan is not working.
  • Do you listen to wise counsel and acknowledge they had a solution? Or does it appear your peers always seem to have a better solution. How is that working out?

Devil’s Drive

The devil deceived you into thinking it’s okay to:

    • Post on social media every sordid detail of your life; so predators can know you.
    • Give exact dates and times you will be at social functions so predators can find you.
    • Take selfies every 15 minutes so predator can know how you look.
    • Air out your dirty laundry so predators can empathize with you.
    •  Measure your importance and status by how many followers you have, so predators can befriend you.

Remember a predator is not always a sex offender luring young minds away from home. Predators are anyone who wants want to use, control or harm you. Stop listening to the devil. It’s not okay. All of the above are bad choices. Make a good choice to monitor what you post on social media.

World’s Way

Today, lusts and temptations loom everywhere. With the touch of a key on a tablet, laptop or phone you can do and see anything; and talk to anyone in the world. This convenience opens the doors to predators, schemes and crimes. Wrong choices have been made by trusting free gimmicks and identities have been stolen. Incorrect decisions. People follow scams where updated electronic are available at a fraction of the cost, failing to read the small print higher costs are connected to your credit card. Online chat room predators have lured many young girls to their destruction. The world is wicked. Make good choices.

Personal Pathway

A friend of my mine came to my house and asked me to go to nursing school with her. She said we could carpool and study together. She had a plan for childcare. My stubbornness caused me to look her in the eyes and say, “I don’t’ want to be a nurse. I don’t like taking medicine. How am I going to make others take medicine?” That was so stupid. I didn’t have a real life plan for my life. It took me about 2 years to discover nursing was a great career. I went to nursing school. But, I drove alone. I didn’t have a study partner. I didn’t have child care. God had a great plan for me. But, I wanted to do my plan. See where it got me? You never know when God has a plan for you. Listen!!!

Lord’s Lane

Stop relying on your knowledge and trust God.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6King James Version (KJV)

Get a foundation in God.

48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. Luke 6:48King James Version (KJV)

Don’t get a foundation in God.

49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:49King James Version (KJV)

 

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