It's a Matter of Choice

Around 11-12 years ago, while I was working in corporate America, I attended a class at work called CASE Training. I believe it stood for something like Cate & Steve's Excellent Training. The name was humorous, the class invaluable. I came away from that class with just ONE thing. But it's one of those things that sticks with you forever, comes back when you think you've forgotten it, and you attempt to pass onto your children.

In everything, we have a choice.

They talked about the way our society has become so victim-minded. How even the way we speak puts us in a victim mode. "She makes me so mad!" Really, now? How does she MAKE me mad? I might choose to be mad because of something she said or did, but truly, she doesn't render that type of control over my life. In a nutshell, that was the part that stuck with me. People don't "make" us anything. We choose to respond - to people, words, attitudes, and circumstances.

This is the lesson I am trying SO hard to teach my younger son. He's one of those people who sees so much through the lens of "it's because so-and-so did whatever." It's hardly ever his fault. Fortunately, he has a teacher who's much greater than his mother. This Teacher is perfect and holy and loves my dear son even more than I do (which is hard to imagine for me).

The funny thing is that God has this habit of using my kids to refine me. Oftentimes, as I'm lecturing one of the boys (it's true - I do lecture them, or so they say), it's as if God is repeating my words behind me and directly AT me. It knocks me right off my high and mighty soapbox.

I have recently been experiencing this wonderful phenomenon whereby God uses the sins of my children to remind me that there is still work to be done in my life. I have a choice - I can choose to believe God and trust Him wholly or I can wander off in my own folly. Considering that He's totally reliable, trustworthy, and faithful (among countless other things), the best thing for me is to choose to trust Him. Dabbling with my own ways and will is never right, never brings me joy, and most of all, will never please Him.

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorties, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15