Choices!

Two syllables and may be one of the most awesome words in the language. Make a choice can evoke a picture of a child standing in front of a Baskin Robbins glass while a parent says, “Make up your mind!” Two can be standing in a church saying, “I do,” to begin a life commitment. And after weighing all options, someone may have to utilize a power of attorney document put in place with trust for such a moment. On one hand some decisions can be irreversible and conclusive, while some are inevitable, yet may be faced multiple times. “Do we really want chicken for supper tonight?”

With the help of a transporting son, I made a choice Monday that I’ve cherished as my right since my earliest memory. My dad took me with him to the Log Cabin in Hammond and sat me on the counter next to him while he used an ink pad and a pencil eraser to mark his choice on a ballot. Since I turned 18, I have claimed my right to have a say in people and some laws that control parts of my life. I’ve been to school libraries and the back corners of grocery stores. I have voted early on site and with mail in documents that I had to sign my name over the flap for security. I have pumped my fist with elation over some outcomes and almost cried over some loses. Truthfully, I have been well-informed and sometimes chose for gut feelings. Look up Overstreet’s poem Stubborn Ounces. My choices were a part of the final count.

To bring us as a group or an individual throughout our lives takes choices. In Joshua 24, the Israelites have gathered after 40 years of wandering. Joshua is an old man and he summarizes all the steps in that journey and he charges them that they have one more choice, and with that choice comes responsibility. The people have a choice, but regardless of what they choose, Joshua has a resounding final comment: This is where I will stand.

Choose today whom you will serve……..As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 (edited)