Choices

Matthew 26:42, “He went away for a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

My friend Kate told me a story about her life as a missionary in a primitive country and how she felt when she returned to the states. She said that one thing she distinctly remembers is her first trip to a store in the US. She remembers marveling at the number of choices there were for everything from food to shampoo. “I remember standing in the aisle of that store just staring at all the choices,” she said. “After years of having only one kind of each thing, I was overwhelmed.”

Kate’s comment came back to me the other day as I talked with my friend Cindy. Cindy is a homeschool mom who has entered some rough waters with her son’s disabilities. As she described all of the specialists, diagnoses, and phone calls that were complicating her life, she admitted that she wanted to find an easier way—a way out. She confessed that homeschooling had become very stressful and felt frustrated that God hadn’t released her from this call on her life. In her flesh, she didn’t want to walk in obedience, but in her spirit she knew that she had to. God had not given her a choice in the matter, and she didn’t like it.

Cindy and I spent some time evaluating why she was feeling so overwhelmed and frustrated. As we did, I remembered Kate’s reflection on the choices we have in the US. Though sometimes our choices may overwhelm us, they are really luxuries. I shared this perspective with Cindy in regards to her son’s educational choices. We live in a country where we can choose from public schools, private schools, homeschool, university schools, cottage schools, and charter schools. And yet, Cindy knew in her heart of hearts that God was directing her that she didn’t have a choice if she was to do His will. In a culture that touts “have it your way,” that can be hard to swallow.

Sometimes we discover that obedience is our only choice. For my friend Cindy, that means persevering in homeschooling even when she would rather find an escape hatch. For my family, that has meant paying off debt and tithing regularly instead of choosing to spend our money on fun stuff and a bigger house. For many teens, it means choosing to stay pure and go against the crowd; living for an audience of One even though they are teased and rejected by their peers. Inevitably, a choice to obey God will mean turning away from the things of this world. This is not necessarily the most convenient or the easiest way to live, but it is the way that will bring about blessings—God’s blessings, which are so much better than anything the world has to offer.

Jesus understood what it means to want another way, and yet have no other choice but to obey God. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He hoped for another option, another choice, a Plan B. His only choice was to die a horrible death. He wanted to find an easier way, and yet He submitted to God’s plan wholeheartedly. As our ultimate example, we see His flesh shrinking back from what He faced, even as His spirit submitted. And so, in His desperation, we see ourselves.

Do you feel God leading you to choose a harder path today? Do you find yourself pushing back and looking for another way? Maybe you know what God is asking you to do, and you are resisting it even now. Choose to turn away from the choices that distract you from God’s best choice. You will find His richest blessings awaiting you when you do.