The Choices We Make - The Control We Have

Steven Spielberg is a household name. There are very few people in the world who become as successful as he has. His films include such classics as “Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List,” “E.T.,” “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Color Purple,” the Indiana Jones films, and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” And it is estimated that his net worth is near 4 billion dollars.

Those who know him seem to deeply love him. He is reputed to be “kind beyond belief,” and never loses his patience on a film set. He is also reportedly a great family man with a loving wife, and seven kids – his, hers, theirs, and adopted.

Recently, his adopted daughter Mikaela made the headlines. At the age of 23, she has decided to go into the adult entertainment industry. She has begun self-producing solo adult film videos, and has applied for a sex workers license in Tennessee. Reportedly, while she is utterly grateful for the support her parents have given her, she hopes to earn enough money from her efforts that she won’t need to rely on them to support her. She wants to make it on her own.

In making her plans public, Mikaela has revealed that her father is supportive of her endeavors. According to an interview she give to a news outlet, Spielberg and his wife, Kate, were “intrigued” when she told them her plans, and that they were not upset by her choice.

Apparently, the parents have put out the word that they are “supportive of Mikaela,” as they are of all of their kids whom they love beyond all measure. But behind the scenes, they are also “embarrassed by her sudden public admission of entry into the sex worker world.” And honestly, what normal parent wouldn’t be?

The Spielberg family is Jewish. Kate converted to the Jewish faith when she married Stephen, and they have raised their children in that faith. In the end, Mikaela made the choice to go into this line of work in spite of the way she was raised.

And that’s the way it is for all of us. Human beings are self-conscious, free-will creatures. We are raised in an environment that reflects the beliefs of those who raised us, but at some point, everyone comes to a place where they are able to make their own decisions about how they will move forward in life – regardless of how they were raised.

In the end, God created reality in such a way that responsibility for life choices falls on each individual. If we make bad choices that end up with bad consequences, we can’t blame someone else. As we live life, we have all kinds of influences. We have the early influences in life based on how we were raised by our parents (or whoever raised us). We have the influence of peers and society as we get older. But the choices we make are ultimately our own, and we are responsible for them. This is the point of view that emerges from a biblical worldview – the one that reflects actual reality.

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah. 

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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