…that I have set before before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life, that you may live… Deuteronomy 30:19
Choose Life. On the surface, this commandment from God seems almost black and white. Life versus death. Blessing versus curses. Good versus evil. Yet I believe it goes much deeper.
Have you ever really thought about all of the choices you make each day? Have you really contemplated the power of the free will that you have been given in every single moment of your life and the responsibility that comes with each of those decisions?
I find it fascinating that God sets in front of us two choices and commands us to choose life yet, the decision is ultimately ours. He entrusts the opportunity to us.
But what does it mean to choose life? Is it just making the choice to get out of bed every day and continue to breathe? Of course, it must be much more than that. Jesus said he not only came to give us life but to give it to us more abundant. We have the awesome responsibility and the amazing opportunity to step into abundant life. The astonishing realization is that each of us is wired to live an individually designed purpose. My abundant life looks nothing like yours! That knowledge is almost mind-blowing.
Why do we struggle to embrace our God-given purpose? My experience for many years was that I focused too much on the “doing” aspects of my life instead of the “being” and “becoming.” The journey is not about what you do or the things that happen to you—it’s about who you become in the process. It’s about fully accepting who you are and who God has called and designed you to be.
Here are a few pointers that I have learned in my own journey thus far and would love to share.
#1. You are responsible for your own happiness. Let go of the expectations and release all the people in your life from this prospect. You and you alone are tasked with your own self-care to keep yourself in a happy place. Focus on what that means for you and ask God to show you how.
#2. Let go of the things that are not your responsibility. Remember when you were in school and your teacher told you to keep your eyes on your own paper? Look at your life in the same way. You are not responsible for what’s on everyone else’s paper—only yours. When you feel the urge to try to be “helpful”, perhaps stop and pray for that person or situation. Relinquish control over to “God’s paper.” Not my circus—not my monkeys!
#3. Don’t take yourself too seriously. We’ve all made mistakes. It’s what makes us human. Give yourself grace. Learn to laugh at yourself and realize that every mistake is an opportunity to learn. Tell yourself, “next time.” When Thomas Edison was asked about all the failures he experienced on his way to the invention of the light bulb, he said there were no failures, only feedback. It's all about perspective.
#4. Don’t be afraid to admit you need help sometimes. None of us have it all together and that’s okay. Again, that is part of the human experience. The first step is acknowledging that sometimes we need to ask for help. Let go of your pride. And in doing so, know that perhaps this an opportunity for connection with another person. Your request for help may be a gift for someone else to give to you.
#5. Take the high road always. I have learned to continuously evaluate my intentions and what God would have me do in every situation. I believe God has called each of us to hold ourselves to the highest standard of forgiving when it is not deserved, giving above and beyond without any expectation of receiving, and knowing that if we knew the whole story we would have empathy. I want to know in every decision that tomorrow I won’t have any regrets for the choices I am making right now today.
Hubert H. Humphrey said, “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God.” I pray that you will embrace every moment of every day in this amazing journey called life.
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