Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

March 27, 2018

By: Michael Norton, Vice President, Malvern Retreat House.

 

In his homily on Palm Sunday, Msgr. Ralph Chieffo said, “On average we make 30,000 decisions a day.”  30,000!

I have to admit, I started trying to identify the decisions I made since opening my eyes in the morning.  I decided to get out of bed, brush my teeth, go down stairs to have coffee, go to the 11:30 AM mass.  As I continued counting, Msgr. Chieffo’s voice brought me back to the present moment.  Just in time to hear, “Did you make a conscious decision to follow Jesus today? Did you thank Him for giving you this day? Did you decide to honor Jesus with prayer? Did you commit or better said, recommit yourself to God, agreeing to follow His word?

Embarrassed, I silently acknowledge, I did not. I decided right there in the pew to make a daily habit of thanking God and committing myself to Him every day. The next decision I had to make was how would I do this?

Not sure what to do, I looked to my brother Joe. He starts his day with a half hour of quiet time with the Lord.  He gives thanks to the Lord, reads passages from the Old and New Testament and prays for those on his prayer list. Most of all, he tells me, “I talk with God.” I admire Joe’s faith and commitment, and made the decision to follow his lead.

On Monday, I took my bible out of the drawer of my nightstand, blew the dust of the cover and put it on the table next to my favorite chair. I set a time, a daily appointment for God and me to talk, read and pray.

Full disclosure, I am not a morning person, so I set my appointment in the early evening. Mind you, every morning, I thank God for blessing me with another day.

We make 30,000 decisions a day.  As Msgr. Chieffo said, none are more important than that deciding to walk with Christ for another day.”

God Bless You.