I Can Choose Well

12–15 minutes

Center · Stillness

Settle in

Put the phone down. Take one slow breath, and say: “God, I am here. Speak, I am listening.”

Read · The passage

Scripture

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 14:12, BSB

Learn · Reflection

Reflection

Good decisions are not always the easiest ones, and not always the most popular. Sometimes choosing what is right takes the courage to act differently. God can give you the wisdom to recognize the paths that bring peace, respect, and growth, even when other people are choosing to act another way.

Lucas was with a group of friends when they started talking badly about a classmate. Some of them were laughing while they made up stories to mock him.

Lucas felt uncomfortable. He knew it was not right, but he was also afraid of ending up alone if he said anything.

For a moment he thought about staying quiet to avoid trouble. But as he listened to the jokes, he realized that staying silent was a choice too.

So he found his courage and said, "Let's stop talking about this."

Maybe that did not change everything right then, but Lucas made a different decision. Sometimes making the right choice is not comfortable. It can even be frightening, because it is not always the same path everyone else is taking. But going along with the group does not always mean making the best decision.

God also gives us a conscience and wisdom to recognize when something is not right. Small decisions can look simple, and yet they are often the very ones that shape the kind of person we are becoming.

Talk · Conversation

Talk about it

Where is it hardest for you to speak up when the group is in the wrong, and what usually holds you back?

Thank · Gratitude

Give thanks

Today I thank God for that uncomfortable feeling inside me when something is not right.

Ask · Prayer

Pray together

God, give me courage not to laugh along when people tear someone down. Help me choose what is right even if I end up standing alone.

Begin · Application

Carry it into the day

If someone starts running another person down today, change the subject or say something good about them.

Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible. Public domain (CC0)