The Choice is Ours

 At the present moment, I am positioned between two nesting birds–an Eastern phoebe under the eave of the garage to my right, and an American Robin in the crook of the crabapple tree to my left. Spring has finally pushed her way in and made everything new and green again, and for that, I am grateful. I am proud of those parent birds who follow their instinctive natures to care for their nests and young at all costs. Much like God is our shelter, and we are the fledglings under the protection of His mighty wings. Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. These good mamas are keeping me from finishing a few of my outdoor tasks, as I am giving them the quiet space they require, but I am enjoying the view from my windows. 

With the coming of spring, the list of things I need to get done is longer than a CVS receipt. If you're unfamiliar with the notorious CVS receipt, they can be several feet long! Sprinkled throughout my normal tasks this year are two major events–a bridal shower we are hosting here at the house, and an upcoming wedding I am helping to plan. Do other life events take a pause in order for these things to take precedence in my life? No. Like the coming of spring, good things often come with a long list of more things to tackle, and life doesn't pause just because I have other things to do. 

I was lamenting yesterday that living in the woods may not have been the best idea. I had already sprayed myself with mosquito repellent twice, and was going back for a third application. They were relentless! Beauty and peace often come with a trade-off. Having lots of beautiful things comes with having to maintain and care for all of those things. If you want to enjoy a stick-free yard, you shouldn't have trees. But if you enjoy shade, you should also plan to rake. If you love birds, you should also plan on chasing squirrels out of the feeder. If you don't want to chase squirrels, don't feed birds. Whatever we enjoy will require energy in some form or another. How much we want to keep it will require more energy later when the newness wears off. 

What we want and don't want, for the most part, is our choice. It's important to choose wisely and know that there are some things–even good things– we may have to give up for the sake of our own joy and peace. Ecclesiastes 3:6 a time to keep and a time to throw away... It's good to work and be busy doing good things, but I don't think God means for us to be so busy that we become overworked and exhausted. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body. These are things to take to heart in any season–are we holding on to too much clutter and spending too much time organizing stuff we don't even need? Are we working countless hours on tasks that are draining our energy to the point that we don't enjoy it when we're finished? Things can be good, but also unnecessary if they begin to create chaos around us. 

Not to sound cliché, but life truly is made up of many choices strung together. Some are significant, and some are just minor decisions, but on a daily basis, we make some kind of choice. When I think about my reactions and responses to recent life situations that have occurred, those were all my choices to be made. It's true that we can't control what is happening around us, and we can't control other people or how other people conduct themselves. We can't predict weather or major news stories that may affect us. But we can choose how we react, respond, and interact in this world, who we surround ourselves with, what we do with our time, what we eat and drink.  We control the words we say, what we think and believe, and how we see the world, others, and ourselves. All of those influencing factors and choices will either move us forward or backward in life.

 I like the quote, "Don't let people pull you into their storm. Pull them into your peace." Every day we can be pulled into someone's chaotic situation and find ourselves commiserating and trading ooze with them, but there is nothing good to be discovered there. It is a wise choice to instead pull them into the peace we know as solution-seeking God choosers. It will then be their choice to accept it or not. With all choices come consequences, and in them we can either find peace or eventual regrets. When we make choices with God's solution already in mind, we know that we will be able to rest with whatever consequence it brings because we have His assurance. James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 

In a devotion titled, He's Moving You, Charles Stanley writes, "What you believe shapes how you respond to the challenges that arise." It's more than just a belief, as it also needs to be lived out. When faced with difficult news last week, I became ill. Although I thought I was leaning on God for strength and trusting God for the outcome, the stress in my body was overtaking me. When we believe God and truly know He will do what He says He will do, then we don't have to fear the outcome. It was clear that I was still holding on to the fear. It is a very normal and human response to feel afraid when a family member is going through a dire health situation. But God is always in control, and I remained prayerful, and kept giving my fear over to Him. It was a conscious choice every day to continue to trust God and keep believing for the healing and restoration of my family member. Psalm 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. It was clear that I was allowing this new stressful situation to jump on top of the heap of other pressing situations I was already trying to manage on my own. I was choosing to take on all of this worry myself instead of stopping to pray first. It's a common mistake of mine. I get so caught up in my long list of things going on and before I know it I am overwhelmed and then something big happens and I begin to spiral. I'm really getting tired of this! But I already know the solution... 

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know. Just like it is a choice to lose my mind over life situations, it is also a choice to gather myself and pray about them. There is a chain of command in life, and God is at the top of the chain. When many things are going on in and around our lives that are beyond our control, we have to know that God will use it for our refinement. Job 23:10 He knows the way I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. He sees the beginning and the end, and nothing that happens to us is a surprise to Him. We have the choice to trust Him, listen to Him, and allow Him to give us the strength we need to endure every trial we will encounter in this life. We may not know what's coming, but we can count on Who will be there with us every step of the way. 

 I would be remiss if I didn't mention the most important choice of all. Many still believe that God forces Himself on them. They are still picturing God as a demanding, angry ogre in the sky that carries a lightning bolt, ready to strike them down. One thing I would want them to know is that it is always a personal choice to follow God. He doesn't go where He isn't invited, and by that I mean He wants to be willingly invited into our hearts. We were created with the ability to choose LOTS of things, including the ability to choose or not to choose to follow or believe in the One who created us. Isn't that just wild? We can accept or not accept the salvation that He offers. God gave all the men and women of the Bible choices. Some followed Him and some did not. Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

I take comfort in knowing that my relationship with the Lord is a choice I make on my own. One in which the consequence defines the daily benefits! John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. And even that choice comes with its complications in this messy world, but we can endure that too.