Choice: the right or power to make a decision
I was born and raised in The Bahamas, a predominantly black country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies. In my country, we have a saying: “The only thing I have to do is stay black and die!” In other words, “I have the choice to do whatever I please. That is my right. The only thing I don’t have control over is being black and facing death one day.” I believe that as humans, we have a natural sense of entitlement. We typically hate being told what to do and will rarely allow anyone the satisfaction of feeling like they have any inkling of power over us. For creatures who feel so strongly about possessing such power over our own lives, one would think that we’d do a better job at exercising it more effectively. Far too often do we sacrifice our power to our feelings and circumstances. “I don’t feel qualified, so I won’t even waste my time,” “I have to work with people I don’t really like, so I’ll have a sour attitude,” “I’m offended by what they said, so I’ll use that as an excuse to be rude,” and the list goes on. I dare say that there is value in exercising your power to choose, rather than allowing internal and external factors to make decisions on your behalf.
In his article, “How to Develop the Personal Power Needed to Achieve Your Biggest Goals,” Adam Sicinski discusses the requirements for wielding your personal power, as well as practical steps to aid in its development. The first requirement is having clarity: knowing what you want and setting an objective that will help push past feelings. You must then master the art of adaptation: being mindful, proactive, and flexible to the changing circumstances of life. Furthermore, practice “redirecting disruptive emotions and impulses” (Sicinski, n.d.) This means improving your emotional intelligence so that you are sensitive to self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors.
Practically speaking, Sicinski suggests taking the time to better understand yourself by asking questions like, “How do I tend to give my personal power away throughout the day and how is it hurting me?” This may look like avoiding social situations due to a fear of criticism, or being really indecisive when decisions have to be made. Sicinski then says to get clear about what you want. Ask yourself, “What do I want specifically in this situation?” or “What perspective do I choose to have right now?” Sicinski urges readers to take responsibility for their lives and circumstances, because once you learn how to use your personal power, you never lose it (Sicinski, n.d.).
As humans, we fail to grasp how much power God has given us over our lives, and specifically for the Christian, I believe that can be attributed to two things: a lack of Scriptural application and the tendency to surrender too easily to temptation. Believe it or not, most times it’s not a matter of understanding Scripture as it is about applying it. It’s wise to keep texts like 2 Timothy 1:7 on hand, which explicitly states that God has given His children a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. However, that holds absolutely no weight if we fail to exercise our powers of love and self-control.
As for giving into temptation, we are so aware of its enticement, that we submit to it before even questioning whether or not we can actually overcome it. This is proven when a piece of gossip is so sweet, that we feed into it without considering the fact that it is possible not to engage, or when we “can’t” stop watching a certain show that’s centered around some form of immorality, because “I’m already this deep into it.”
Whether we care to admit it or not, we surrender our power of choice, daily, to inanimate objects, the media, and worst of all, to things as fickle as our feelings. At some point, we have to take the power back. Any sensible person knows that it’s foolish not to make good use of something that cost him a fortune. How much more foolish is it to have something invaluable given to him for free (God’s gift of free-will), just to sacrifice it for cheap alternatives?
Dear reader, how are you using your gift? In what area(s) of your life do you need to take back control? What excuses have you been habitually making up to this point, but now vow to be more attentive to? Use your power. Choose wisely.
Reference
Sicinski, A. How To Develop The Personal Power Needed To Achieve Your Biggest Goals. IQ
Matrix. https://blog.iqmatrix.com/personal-power
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.