In many stories in the Bible, we find people who made right and wise decisions, yet not a few made wrong ones. Scripture records that not every story ends well due to human choices. It must be admitted that many people have taken the wrong path in life—the path they were never meant to take. Likewise, today, many of us are faced with important decisions—choosing between two things that both seem reasonable, though only one is truly right. Even something as simple as deciding whether to continue reading this reflection or stop and turn to something that seems more interesting is, in itself, a choice.
Choosing wrongly or taking a wrong step today means preparing regret for tomorrow—or even for eternity. Life is, after all, a chain of choices. Whatever we experience today is the result of the decisions we made in the past. Every time mistakes occur and outcomes fail to meet expectations, the accumulation of those moments becomes a long trail of regret. There is an old saying: “Don’t swallow sweetness too quickly, and don’t throw away bitterness too soon.” This proverb reminds us to weigh carefully everything that enters our minds before deciding to accept or act upon it.
No human being can escape the reality that life constantly demands choices. Life offers thousands of options, and behind each one lies the mystery of an unpredictable future. Often, we think that one decision marks the end of a choice, yet within that choice lie many more—each more difficult than the last. Human life is an unending series of decisions.
Every choice carries risk. Every risk opens the possibility of problems, and every situation can sometimes lead to disaster. There are moments when we feel grateful for the decisions we’ve made—but there are also times when we blame our circumstances—at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of life’s journey—because of a choice that turned out to be wrong. A goal that once looked beautiful becomes a bitter dream. A choice that seemed promising at first can turn into a heavy burden—stifling, irritating, even disastrous.
When such circumstances repeat day after day, disappointment, hatred, and despair slowly begin to grow. At that point, people often blame God. We sometimes say carelessly, “This must be karma from past mistakes.” But the principle of Scripture is not karma—it is the law of sowing and reaping: whoever sows will reap. Yet this law does not mean every suffering is a direct punishment from God. More often, it is simply the natural consequence of our own choices.
People constantly faced with life’s decisions often choose the middle path to remain in their comfort zone—avoiding complexity. We rarely think far ahead: Will this action truly benefit me and others, or will it bring harm? The problem arises when the result of a decision does not meet expectations. Just as light reflected from a mirror returns to its source, so too do unresolved issues come back to us when left unattended.
Sometimes, we try to shift our burdens onto others so that they share in our weight. We do not care whether they can bear it or not—as long as we feel lighter. Yet every burden we carry today is the consequence of our own choices, and sometimes it becomes a load we must bear for life. Therefore, let us not pass our burdens to others, nor complain about how heavy they are. For it was we ourselves who chose to carry them—and that is the risk that comes with every choice we make in life. Some people constantly faced with life’s decisions often choose the middle path to remain in their comfort zone—avoiding complexity. We rarely think far ahead: Will this action truly benefit me and others, or will it bring harm? The problem arises when the result of a decision does not meet expectations. Just as light reflected from a mirror returns to its source, so too do unresolved issues come back to us when left unattended.