Choices.

It’s estimated that the average person makes 35,000 choices a day. I found that number to be alarmingly high as I debated over which website to site for this post. I guess I’d never really thought about it before, but we must really do a lot of thinking throughout our day!

Should I snooze for 10 minutes more or get up now?
Should I brush my teeth or wash up first?
Lemon ginger or Ginger probiotic tea for breakfast?
Fruit or scrambled eggs with the tea?
Work remotely or go into the school?
What’s for lunch?
Speak up at this meeting or stay silent?
Workout or rest after work?
Go to bed on time or watch The Golden Girls?

And those are just some of the choices that I make on a daily basis, not even considering the fact that each made decision comes with several other latter decisions to be made. I guess I do make a lot of choices in a day.

I should warn you here that today I don’t have much to offer. I am on day three of an eight day busy period and my candle is burning quickly. Today I have a brief thought to share and then I’m gonna pack it up and head off for the day… hopefully to the waiting arms of my warm bed. But I digress…

Choices.

In full transparency, this topic was placed on my heart after an undesirable experience on Wednesday evening. All I could think about is how we go through our lives, making choice after choice, that not only impacts us but also the lives of others.

Let’s think Biblically. Eve’s choice to eat that fruit in Genesis impacted ALL of humanity from that moment on. Moses’ decision to obey God and approach Pharaoh, set his people free from slavery and bondage. Queen Esther’s decision to approach her husband the king saved the lives of her people (she was placed there “for such a time as this”). Many choices were made in the Old Testament that contributed to the choices that were presented and made in the New Testament. Many impactful decisions were made in the New Testament but the greatest of them all was when Jesus decided to die on the cross for our sins.

We can look back at the choices of Adam and Eve and see one major truth about our choices: as much as God has a plan and desire for us, He does not force us to do anything.

Freewill.

I used to joke with my mom and say that because she is my mother, she should find my husband and arrange my marriage. She would laugh and then seriously say, “no; that’s your choice, not mine.” Because I am so afraid of making the wrong choice, I often opt to make no choice at all (which is, in and of itself, a choice), letting those around me make decisions for me. Maybe it was the trauma or maybe it was fear of failure, because I did not relish the idea of being in charge of my own fate.

One of the many things that I love about God is that He is not a forceful God. He does not believe in “making” us conform to His way, but says that we are free to make our own choices. Good or bad, we have the ability to steer the course of our lives. I know you are thinking, “but doesn’t God want us to follow Him?” Of course He does! God desires for us to choose Him on a daily basis, walk with Him, and trust His plan for our lives. But even with all of His sovereignty, He still gives us the chance to make our own choices. He’s just that great of a Father!

Consequences.

Growing up I thought that word only meant something bad. When I would hear the word, I immediately thought butt-whooping and a pending punishment. I think I was in my 20s when I learned that a consequence could be something good, too, as it is simply the effect of some cause. Cause and effect; that’s all that life is. With each one of our 35,000 choices that we make each day, we set in motion countless cause and effect scenarios that shape our life and the lives of all mankind.

For example… many decades ago, a Kenyan man met a beautiful woman and they married. They gave birth to a son in Hawaii and gave him a unique, Biblical name. Seems pretty ordinary, right? Well, it is until you realize that that child was Barack Obama who went on to become the United States’ 44th president and the man who saw to the enactment of many laws that impacted Americans and foreign policy alike. Cause and effect. Choices. What if that man had never met the woman? What if that child had not been born? What if? The choices that Obama, Sr. made in his contributed to the path that Obama, Jr. took in his quest to presidency. Choices.

I watched a movie years ago called The Butterfly Effect. Ashton Kutcher starred in it and the premise was that subtle decisions in our lives make great impacts in the grand scheme of things. Good or bad, consequences are felt for every choice that we make.

Your turn.

By now you just be wondering what the point is of this #MondayMessage. You made the choice to read it and now you must be wondering why. Here’s your why: of the 35,000 choices that you will make today, which one will be for Christ? Which decision that you make today will propel you deeper into your relationship with Him, allowing Him to steer your life? Which decision of yours today will force you to stop passively living your life and take an active role in your time spent on this side of glory? Which choice will set you free?

I’ve experienced many undesirable things in my life but the best choice that I ever made was when I decided to stop letting those experiences define who I was. I had found God but I wasn’t fully committed to Him and as such, I didn’t fully understand the freedom that He gives. Today I realize that not only is He liberating me, but He is Liberty. I can’t force you to do anything but I can strongly suggest that you cast your lot with the One who is free.

But ultimately, your life, your day, your … choices.

Be blessed.