Choices are the substance of life. Whether spur of the moment or carefully considered, the choices we make today will be the means to where we arrive at tomorrow. Why? Because when we make a choice, we are actually choosing a destination. For example, every time I choose what to eat, in actuality at the end of the day I am either choosing a healthier version of myself or the “other” version of me. So the Nutella® Crepes I had on my daddy-daughter date today might not have been chosen with the healthier me in mind leaving me one step removed from the me I want to be (but hey, at least I split them with an 11 year old . . . err, maybe two-third-ed them would be more truthful). Regardless, the point is that our choices have consequences and a series of small daily choices hold the power to shape our lives despite our best intentions. You see, I could literally eat Nutella® crepes all day long, but I’m fairly certain that I really don’t want to go where that leads—visions of Augustus Gloop sipping out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate River come to mind. You see, I don’t want to be that guy, but my choices determine the outcome . . . not my intentions.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” —Anonymous
So, how does this relate to marriage? Glad you asked. Dr. Gary Chapman once said, “Love is a choice.” He went on to say,
The one who chooses to love will find appropriate ways to express that decision every day.”
When we go beyond our best intentions and choose to love our spouse by speaking their love language, we plant seeds that will blossom into a healthy, enjoyable and lifelong marriage. What’s your vision for your marriage? Are the choices you made today leading you closer or further from that vision? It was Harry Emerson Fosdick who once said,
He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.”
Intentions can—and will—sit idle until we choose to take appropriate action. Therefore, make a choice to live and love on purpose. Now go and make it happen.
