Volume XX, Number 30 (Issue 982) July 25, 2022
Chain of Events
Have you ever thought about the chain of events that has brought you to this point? Throughout your life people made choices as have you that have shaped, helped, driven, sometimes hurt, or held you back. It is the combination, sequence, and sum of those choices that have positioned you in the precise spot where you now find yourself. Functionally, your current lot began generations ago. But let us narrow the focus to something more knowable and relatable like your parents, grandparents, guardians, foster parents. etc. We will start there since it is that group that made decisions about where you lived when you were growing up. Their choices determined the primary and secondary schools you attended. In turn, those schools and the people who administered them had much to say about the quality of the education you received. While your IQ may have given you an advantage over some, it is the opportunities that presented themselves to you and what you did with those opportunities that more than anything else has afforded you the options you see before you today.
If your family was affluent by the standards of the day, you may have attended private schools and a private college. Or, if you were like most of us, your path traveled through the public school system in your area. There again it could have involved home schooling or little to no formal schooling. Perhaps you chose or had to work while you were in high school. Or maybe you participated in extra- curricular activities. Did you have an active social circle or did your circumstances create a bit of isolation? After high school there might have been a stint in the military, or perhaps it was off to college or the trades. Certainly, the era itself could have narrowed or broadened your options. Similarly, the generation you belong to did much to establish your and your contemporaries’ norms and value systems. In the process, the chain of events and choices that were made moved you closer to today.
As a young adult what kind of work did you do and what kinds of bosses did you have? Each decision that involved you directly or indirectly represented a road taken and a road not taken – all leading to today. Let us not forget the choice(s) of a mate and partner. Did someone take you under their wing to mentor or coach you? Or do you think of yourself as self-made? How impactful have been your choices about a faith-walk, lifestyle, financial stewardship, civic and political engagement?
Every single choice you have made, and there have been thousands of them, have brought you to your present circumstance – be it good, bad, or something in between. For that matter, any judgement regarding your present circumstance is your call. Are you happy with your current lot? Are there opportunities awaiting you? The point in all of this is opportunities, choices, DNA, and a measure of luck have made you who you are today. The choices you make going forward will further shape the future you. Of course, since you are not a hermit, those choices are going to impact others too. So, make them wisely.
Soli Deo Gloria
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
Keith Hughey
Mobile: (210)260-0955
E-mail: keith@jkeithhughey.com
Web site: www.jkeithhughey.com
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Copyright 2022 by J. Keith Hughey. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for reproduction and redistribution of this essay as provided under the copyright laws of the United States of America. The entire early library of Monday Morning Musings issues may be found at www.jkeithhughey.com. Your comments are welcome and encouraged.