Ever notice what an odd world we live in? I have. I marvel at it every day. I stand in awe of the beauty and majesty of God’s creations around me knowing full well no man or woman could look out over an unspoiled wilderness and not be touched in some way; not recognize the value of preserving it. Then, in contrast, I scratch my head in confusion knowing that same man or woman won’t buy an energy efficient light bulb because they don’t like the color light it casts.

We are creatures of conflicting duality; simultaneously noble and ignoble, caring and unkind, selfless and selfish. The same man who jumps off a bridge to save a drowning woman might, tomorrow, lie on his resume to get a job he does not deserve. We could applaud a woman’s character one morning and find ourselves wishing for her downfall for some illicit act later that same evening.

So we’re conflicted. We’re saints and scoundrels, all of us. But maybe that’s by plan. Maybe we’re in a precarious balance for a reason. Perhaps that’s just the way the universe, and everything in it, is created, existing in one state only for so long before toppling into another state of being depending on variables.

Consider every planet that is in an orbit. A little bit faster and it will spin free to fly off into the void. A little bit slower and it will plummet towards its star. That same star is responsible for the creation of all the wonders in its solar system… the same things it will someday be responsible for destroying.

Every atom in the universe sits in a state of infinite potential. It may become part of so grand a thing as a star, as mundane as the sock on your foot or as offensive as the phlegm in your throat.

Even the universe itself was born into a state of uncertain potential, doomed to expand until every rock, every molecule, every atom and every particle eventually dissipates into nothingness or, potentially, to leap out into a brief and brilliant state of existence, only to collapse again into a common singularity no bigger than a marble but containing every bit of everything in itself.

Potential. At the heart of it all is that single world. But just as important is the word “choice.” What differentiates us from the planets, from the rocks, from the universe, stars, atoms and molecules is that we are capable of thinking about potential - of making choices that can decide what aspect of our potential we will fulfill (or fail to fulfill).

Will you allow yourself to become frustrated at gridlock traffic or will you turn up the radio and sing along to your favorite song - simultaneously choosing the potential for a positive day and possibly influencing a positive day in those witnessing your carefree indifference to the delay?

Will you let your life be ruled by fear, choosing a safe but wholly uninteresting life or will you accept that you’ve got one shot in this world and might as well make the most of it?

Will you surrender or fight? Will you live on your knees or on your feet? Will you accept failure as a lesson or let it defeat you? Will you earn what you want in life or spend your life complaining about the lack of handouts? Kind or cruel, honest or dishonest, helpful or hurtful?

Potential and choice. You are the master of your life - the only mortal, living being who truly gets to decide what happens, how it goes and how you respond to those things that are beyond your control and, ultimately, the only one responsible for those choices. Whether you believe a divine being placed you in this universe or it all happened by chaotic happenstance, the end result is still the same.

This is your life. These are the circumstances. The potential is limitless. Infinite. What will you choose to do? What kind of person do you choose to be? Your potential awaits.