One of my favorite holiday traditions is putting up a Christmas tree. Since I started living on my own, putting up a Christmas tree is different. I am the one who decides what goes on the tree. The type of ornaments and other decorations that go on the tree is my choice. In essence, the Christmas tree in my home is designed based on what I choose. The quality of my tree will be from the choices I make as well as the effort I put into it.

A Christmas tree is similar to our lives. While each of us is different, we make choices for ourselves. Like a Christmas tree where each of us decides the decorations, we decipher what we put into our lives. We choose the actions we take. We determine the effort we put into what we do. We determine who we spend time with regularly. Ultimately, we make choices that shape our lives.

The better the choices we make, then we have a better opportunity to live a good life. Sometimes, bad decisions could affect us. That is why the people we spend time with and the choices we make are so impactful. In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon refers to the importance of making good choices, the effect of our effort as well as the impact the people we are around can have on us. Proverbs 13:4 says, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” If we look further on, Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” 

We may not be able to control certain variables in our lives, but we can control our choices, effort, and who we spend our time with regularly. A lesson learned from a holiday tradition.