CHOICES
BLOG # 24
I was betwixt and between making a simple but important decision. When I finally made it and shared it with the person I was with, my interpretation of her response was, “Your choice is inconvenient for me right now. You will need to wait.” The words assaulted my value and crushed my expectation knowing that I would have chosen her first if the situation were reversed. Even though it was a small matter, my request was important to me. There was no argument. I accepted her choice and decided to take a different route.
As I walked away, I heard the words spoken as if through a megaphone, “I have chosen you, now I want you to choose you too.” Over the next few weeks and months, those words consumed my thoughts as they became the anchor for every choice I made. Just to clarify, this is not a narcissistic, self-indulgent, or self-absorbed reflection of our current “selfie” culture. Rather, it’s a reflection and reminder that God has chosen us, me, and you, individually, and purposely. We did not choose ourselves. God is the one who chose us first and in so doing He reminds us that we are to follow His pattern. His choice is me. And if the God of creation, the King of Kings, the ‘I Am,’ the Almighty, Eternal, God chooses me, who am I not to choose me too?
I’m sure we have all experienced being chosen as a child. Remember in elementary school picking teams where we were not the team captain and we were waiting to be picked. I don’t know about you, but there were several times, I’m sad to say, that I was the last choice standing.
As women, we have the innate ability to choose others and reject ourselves. The opposite is in fact true. For it’s when we choose ourselves as God has chosen us that we are fit to choose others, to serve others, to joyfully sacrifice, to “go and bear much fruit” as Jesus commands. (John 15:16)
This concept is expressed in every flight safety instruction we hear. We are told that in the event of a drop-in oxygen we are to put our oxygen mask on first before we can help anyone else. God, Himself, instituted this concept and we can see this message of choice, the freedom to choose, in Scripture. Anything less, is pure religion as seen in the Pharisees. The result of which is resentment, pride, guilt, insincerity, a stiff upper lip and sheer misery. This is in stark contrast to the incredible joy we receive when we choose God (and in so doing ourselves) first to give, to serve, to sacrifice, to obey and even to lay down our lives.
You must choose, so choose God today for He has already chosen you.
Shalom