As human beings, we often fail to choose what is best for our lives. Meanwhile, time can never be turned back. There was once a man who was about to be executed. When asked what his final wish was, he replied, “I wish I could go back to the past and fix what I did wrong in my life.” Haven’t we ever thought the same way?
In truth, no one is truly foolish—only those who are too lazy to learn. No person is born intelligent. A baby cannot speak, walk, or run immediately. Even a genius would not become wise without learning to read or training the mind. The point is: if we want to be knowledgeable and wise, there are no shortcuts. We must choose—whether to use our time to learn or to waste it in pleasure; whether to delay our responsibilities for personal enjoyment, only to rush and produce poor results, or to take responsibility and finish what must be done promptly and well.
Instead of praying before sleep, many of us spend time scrolling through social media until we drift off without ever speaking to God. Instead of studying God’s Word, we prefer reading information that does not nurture spiritual maturity. Instead of doing what is right, we pretend not to know what is right. Eventually, we ask ourselves: How can we avoid making the wrong choice?
In life, many take the wrong path because they refuse to listen to God’s Word or reject the counsel of the wise. The Bible contains approximately 1,567 verses related to the topic of hearing. Proverbs 8:33 says, “Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.” Scripture is also full of stories about people who faced difficult choices.
Abraham—the father of faith—also once faced a complicated choice. He followed his wife, Sarai’s, suggestion to have a child through Hagar, their servant, which was not because of Abram’s ambition, but at Sarai’s own request. Hagar conceived a child, but afterward, she grew proud and began to despise her mistress. Sarai could not bear the humiliation and mistreated Hagar until she fled. Abram’s moral strength and faith—later recognized in him as Abraham—were tested not only in that moment, but again when God asked him to offer Isaac, his beloved son, as proof of his faithfulness.
Abraham’s grandson, Esau, also faced a significant choice. He sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob—not out of kindness, but because of hunger and exhaustion. In a moment of weakness, he exchanged his priceless inheritance for a single meal—a bowl of red stew and bread. He preferred temporary satisfaction over eternal blessing. As a result, Esau spent his life regretting his foolishness.
Samson too chose wrongly. He lost the extraordinary strength God had given him because he fell for Delilah, a woman from among Israel’s enemies. The power meant to defend God’s people was lost because he loved Delilah more than he loved God. There, Samson was tested: would he remain faithful to God or to his own desires?
Even Jesus Christ, the holy Son of God, once faced a choice. The devil tempted Him with promises of power over the world and vast riches—things that are very appealing to humans. But Jesus refused them all and remained faithful to the Father’s will. The devil was defeated.
Now the question is: What about us? When faced with life’s choices—between obedience or rebellion, truth or compromise, faithfulness or worldly desire—will we choose like Jesus, who remained faithful, or like Esau, Samson, and Hagar, who chose wrongly? Every decision, no matter how small, shapes the path of our lives. Therefore, never take lightly the choices you make each day. In every decision, listen to God’s voice and meditate on His Word, so that you will not choose wrongly—and live in regret later.