by Kim Carson

On the way home from the theatre, after watching the movie, The Words, well lets just say it’s the kind of movie that makes you wonder what you might do, given the same circumstances. It’s a movie about compromising. On the surface one might think compromise is a good thing, right? You give a little; I give a little, what could possibly be wrong with that? A compromise can be viewed by an attorney as a win. It’s sort of an agreement reached by slightly adjusting ones conflicting and opposing demands, principals, or claims. But there is another kind of compromise; the kind of compromise that leaves you feeling dirtier coming out than when you went in. And it always happens gradually, slowly, sometimes unknowingly at first, until one day you wake up and you begin to realize that you are not that stellar, reputable person that you always believed you were. You fooled yourself and bought into your own deception and lies. We become the sum total of decisions and choices we make over a period time. TobyMac sings these words in his #1 charting song Lose My Soul, “I don’t want to gain the whole world and lose my soul.” That’s one trade I don’t want to make. Then there is the chorus of a Casting Crowns song that echoes the same sentiment:

It’s a slow fade when you give yourself away, It’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray, Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid. When you give yourself away, People never crumble in a day, It’s a slow fade.

The sum and substance in the verse “People never crumble in a day”, is all in the timing. What may appear as unexpected to some, a sudden loss, destruction, crumbling, or public humiliation, in actuality, is an individual’s imperceptible erosion of their morals, ethics and values, over an extended period of time. So what is the price you are willing or are not willing to pay? Is it a fine line or has the line becoming slightly blurred?

In other words, what is your price? In the work environment you may be asked to overlook things, possibly illegal activity, or unacceptable behavior. Is the money you receive in your paycheck every two weeks enough for you to compromise yourself? Then that is your price. For some people that is acceptable, for others, not so much. In a relationship, is the disrespect or abuse tolerable, can you ignore it, or at the very least excuse it, only because you have children together? The rationale may be , that you have a roof over your head, and you are provided for materially, is that the justification that you make to yourself? Is that enough for you to explain away the compromise? Then that is your price.

Everyday, we have many choices we are faced with; some are about the most mundane things, while others are more serious matters. You are not participating in life if you have not made some bad decisions or used poor judgment somewhere along the way in your own personal journey. However, it is not a bad idea to pause, be still, and examine your life. Consider again, some of the choices you have made. Take an honest look at the person you are, as well as the person you are becoming. Unfortunately, there will be people reading this who will only be able to see the person they have become, once they have lost everything that defined who they were. But like a grim reaper, that day will come, it always does. The choices we make in the present moment, will direct the trajectory our lives will take in the future.

In the future it would be prudent to choose wisely when confronted with a situation that goes against what is right, what is good, what you stand for and believe. There will always be consequences from choices made as we navigate our path in life. Some of the repercussions from choices made will be lasting. Consequences rarely affect only one person, like a ripple, they first impact those closest to us and travel outward. Ask yourself what are you afraid of losing? What is more important to you than your own self worth, having the ability to look yourself in the mirror each morning and be pleased with the person looking back at you? That takes an honest self inventory. Then at some point, you have to step out on this thing called faith. Jump off without a net, knowing that you will be caught. Intention will always determine the final outcome for each decision you make. Every path you travel down with all the right intentions, no matter how broken or crooked, will always straighten out into the right path. Everything in life is ultimately determined by intention. Be strong, do right, and have faith.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kim Carson is an author and television/radio/internet personality. You can keep up with all of her adventures at www.FaithHopeAndLoveSongs.com and on facebook at facebook.com/KimCarsonNOW.

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