And So I Choose

I Choose Love...
No occasion justifies hatred -- no injustice warrants bitterness.

I Choose Love...
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I Choose Joy....
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will
refuse temptation to be cynical... the tool of the lazy thinker.
I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less
than an opportunity to see God.

I Choose Peace...
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I Choose Patience...
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world, Rather than
complaining that the wait is too long. I will thank God for a
moment to pray, instead of clinching my fist at a new assignments,
I will face them with joy and courage.

I Choose Kindness...
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich,
for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God
has treated me.

I Choose Goodness...
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will
see the good in others when it is hard to find. I will confess
before I will accuse, I choose goodness.

I Choose Faithfulness...
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their
trust. My associates will not question my word.My wife will not
question my love, and my children will never fear that their
father will not come home.

I Choose Gentleness...
Nothing is won by force, I choose to be gentle. If I raise my
voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may
it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I Choose Self-Control...
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will
soar, I refuse to let what will rot the eternal.

I Choose Self-Control...
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness,

Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control...
To these I commit my day, If I succeed. I will give thanks.
I will seek God's face. And then when this day is done, I will
place my head on my pillow and rest.

[ Author Unknown -- from Aiken Drum ]