The Power in Silence and SolitudeSample

WHOSE CHOICE IS IT?

When sitting in a stillness before God, I often ponder my choices.

· My choice to be quiet and choose rest.

· My choice to live a life of faith.

· My choice to forgive others leads to my freedom.

· My choice to let go of the things I cannot control.

· My choice to accept the promises of God for my life.

· My choice to trust in His faithfulness regardless of my circumstances.

Life can be difficult and draining. We encounter problems, failures, and various overwhelming issues. Often, we want to shift blame and point a finger. We can easily fall into a “victim” mentality. We feel defensive.

After years of coaching and mentoring, I wrestle with the profound question: “Who is in charge of me/you?” Is it your boss, your neighbor, or your little brother? Is it still your mother or father? At some point, we all realize that we must take responsibility for our daily responses and decisions. We can aimlessly blame our lives away, like a victim, or we can take smart steps to walk towards a victory for greater, more powerful tomorrows…. starting today!

Blaming is easy. But blaming is never effective. The blame game started in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of human creation. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the snake. And we have been blaming each other ever since. It didn’t work then, and it doesn’t work now.

Every single human being has trauma and drama from their early childhood. Some trauma is horrific and never should have happened. Some trauma is from a curt word that starts an ugly lie or stronghold, sending the beholder into a spiral of mistruths. There is a day of reckoning somewhere in our lives. A day where we decide, “Enough is enough!” We attempt to figure out WHY! Why were we born? What is my purpose? Why this country? Why this century? Why this family? What for? In our search, we believers end up in the face of truth. The Biblical truth reveals that each of us is born ON purpose, WITH purpose, and FOR purpose.

You are no accident. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that our Creator knit us each fearfully and wonderfully in our mother’s womb. We had no choice, but HE DID! He calls each of us a masterpiece. He calls us beloved. He calls us His workmanship/handiwork. And, best of all, we are assigned with purpose…good works! He wants us to walk in those works for all of our days. He goes before us, and He goes with us (Deuteronomy 31:8). He opens doors that no man can open, and He closes doors that no man can close (Isaiah 22:22). He makes a way in your desert where there seems to be no way (Isaiah 43:19) . He can produce living water when you are thirsty (John 4:10-14). He is your strength when you are weak (2 Corinthians 12:9-11). And whenever you fall, He holds you by His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:13).

All this is such good news! But do we believe it? Do we walk in our Christian privilege as believers? We can live FROM peace, patience, kindness, goodness, love, self-control, and even a sound mind/self-discipline. We can live EMPOWERED versus UNEMPOWERED and exhausted. This is your choice. This is your life. Wherever you go, there you are. Simple, yet profound. We must each choose this day who we will believe and how we will live. Will we believe the lies of the enemy, which only leads to living far below abundance? Or will we choose to believe the truth about our original design? We were fashioned in His image for His good purposes. He has given you a beautiful identity. Do you know that?

The choice is yours. Think about it. Since choices have consequences, choose very carefully. It is your life.

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