choice

I enjoy reading many of Richard Wagamese’s books. Indigenous authors such as he, have much to say about the world and people’s stories. That’s why I was delighted to see that Drew Hayden Taylor has taken many of Richard’s meditations and non-fiction writings and designed What Comes From Spirit as a literary legacy to honor him and his work. One particular page captured my attention:

ME: What’s the biggest strength Creator gives me?

OLD WOMAN: Choice

ME: That seems kinda small.

OLD WOMAN: It’s your true power. Your biggest power.

ME: Really? How so?

OLD WOMAN: With it you get to direct the course of your life. You can choose to give up. You can choose to hang on. You choose to feel angry. You choose to not listen, to stay tied to your past, to blame, to be prideful, to ignore humility. You choose your ego over your heart, to be a reactor or a creator. But you can also choose to let go, to have dignity, to forgive yourself and others, to see how valuable and beautiful you are, to be vulnerable and share your true self, to not be a victim. You can choose to be happy.

ME: All that is mine.

OLD WOMAN: It always was and always will be - but you have to choose to use it.

In these interesting days, some people are having choices made for them; while others are making difficult choices. Our governments have chosen to go deeply into debt; our politicians have chosen to be involved in science and people are choosing to demonstrate their feelings in both negative and positive manners toward one another. We, as humans, have always been able to choose. God gave us that ability when he created us.

We can choose any kind of life we want. We can break God’s laws or follow them. We are not robots and have been given the gift of free choice. We have the right to shake our fist at God or bow down on our knee in prayer or worship Him. Eve chose to share the apple with Adam in the Garden of Eden and he chose to take a bite. Even Jesus made a choice to die on a cross when he could have walked away. In the Old Testament, Joshua spoke these words when addressing the Israelites in Joshua 24:15

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

And so it is that we have the right to resist or follow, yet despite all our rebelious nature, God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to take it to the cross for us as sinners and die for us. He wants us to follow him. That’s a choice we get to make. I’ve made my choice but whom do you choose to serve?