Sometimes it seems easy to ignore God’s instruction. Following him closely is a choice filled with blessing and one that you’ll never, ever regret. Your good Shepherd leads you in paths of righteousness, so please follow him today.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a little lesson about the choices we make.
Because you know what, choices can be so hard. And I don’t mean choosing between Coca-Cola or Pepsi. No, I mean the tough, no-nonsense, single focused kind of choices that move you forward into life; that move you away from self-pity and into serving others. Choices that cut you off from your old, sinful lifestyle and open the door to a fresh new way of living in Jesus. Sometimes the choices we make seem small and ordinary, but oh my goodness, they bear huge results, like when I broke my neck. After I got out of the rehab center, and after I’d been living with quadriplegia for a short time, I finally got tired of being fed dinner at our family table – I felt badly that my sister couldn’t enjoy her own meal but had to keep feeding me in between her own bites. I could not envision doing this for the rest of my life.
But as I set about trying to feed myself with paralyzed arms, I tired so quickly. After about a week of trying to feed myself, I felt like giving up. It was hard, I started feeling sorry for myself – I mean all I wanted was to get back use of my arms! Wasn't there an easier way than having a bent spoon inserted into the pocket on my leather arm splint; then straining my weak shoulder muscles to scoop food on the spoon, and balance it to lift it to my mouth? It was humiliating to have more food land on my lap than in my mouth or, worse yet, to miss my mouth entirely and smear it all over my face.
Now, I could have surrendered, it would have been easy, and many wouldn't have blamed me. But I had to make a choice. Was I going to let those disappointing failures overwhelm me? Oh no! I decided that the awkwardness of feeding myself outweighed the fleeting satisfaction of self-pity. And so, I was pushed to pray, “Oh God, please, please help me with this spoon!” The next morning at breakfast I got back at it. I tried something easy; scrambled eggs (milk and cereal would’ve been too challenging). And sure, lots of egg fell on my lap, but I kept trying. And today I can easily feed myself (although I still stay away from milk and cereal). No, I didn't recover the use of my hands, but I was able to leave self-pity behind, as well as cultivate a little humility. But it meant making the hard choice many, many times.
Oh friend, my growth in Christ can probably be boiled down into one word: “choose”. Choosing the right path is hard, and often you have to keep pushing through failure. Sometimes it will seem easier just to ignore God's instructions. But God says in Proverbs 8, “Choose my instruction instead of silver....” And then in Joshua 24 it says, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” And Titus 2 gives a huge push in the right direction where it says that the grace of God teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and “yes” to a self-controlled, upright, and godly life. Man, that verse so speaks to me. Because, well, for me, there’s just some music – popular songs I used to listen to in the 60s and 70s – but now, I just have to choose not to include them on my favorites playlist. I choose not to because I know that if I listen to that stuff long enough, it will dull my sensitivity to spiritual things.
Oh friend, every day you are faced with so many choices and I pray that God will help you understand the blessings, the eternal implications of choosing the right path. It’s your good Shepherd who leads you in paths of righteousness, so please, follow him today. Follow him closely. It’s a choice filled with blessings; a choice you will never, ever regret.
© Joni and Friends