The top of the stairway was a decision point. Did I want to follow the path? Was I confident that this would take me to my desired destination? What did I want to do next?
As a new day dawns, the questions are more relevant and pressing. The day ahead is a blank canvas. I have appointments and to-do items in my diary for today. Each is a decision that I will need to reaffirm with a response expressed through action. Knowing this takes me back to where I began. What do I want to do with my day?
Choices have consequences. The stairwell reminded me of the positive side of choice. I knew where my choice was taking me. I was certain that I would be safe until the moment I stepped off the escalator. The uncertainty of the moment ahead is very different. There are no guarantees that what follows what I choose. I will need to acknowledge and accept the uncertainty that exists. It would be naïve to think that making no decision is the safest path forward. In the moment, I will need to make a decision and live with the consequences that follow.
Life offers insights to increase our awareness and to be used as a guide. In the choice of the stairway, my experience was a comforting friend. I had been down this path. I was confident my expectations would be successfully realised. Too often I catch myself ignoring Life’s whispers in the forms of trusted friends, experiential lessons, and common sense. Being intentionally ignorant does not give me comfort as I look at yesterday’s poor choices. Opening myself up to Life’s ways of teaching is a doorway to better possibilities.
Taking care is always a good idea. Not every suggestion is shared for our well-being. Remember, “They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents.” (Romans 16.18)
Now, it is time to take a step.
