choices

a friend loaned me a book to read called “Seizing Your Divine Moment – Dare to Live a Life of Adventure” by Erwin McManus.

i have been stuck in a rut for awhile, not feeling God calling me any specific direction but feeling like i could go 10 different ways with my life.  decisions are so much easier when you only have 2 options.  i used to get so flustered in the cafeteria at college because i’d walk in, get a tray, and then was faced with a multitude of food options and people everywhere.  half the time i’d get overwhelmed and just grab something, only to start eating it and wonder why in the world i chose it.  :P

rabbit trail, sorry. hopping back on now.

the first chapter in this book is called choices – choose to live.

“Our choices either move us toward God and all the pleasure that comes in Him or steer us away from Him to a life of shame and fear.”

our lives are filled with moments each day where we have to make choices.  some are tiny, but some will impact the rest of our life.  and then there’s the ultimate moment of choice: the choice to either accept or reject Jesus will impact our life for eternity.

but our lives are filled with all these moments throughout the day to either honor and bring glory to God or turn away from Him.  the choice to love or to turn the other way.  the choice to smile and share a little glimmer of Christ’s love to strangers or to keep a stone face and go about our own personal agenda.

“We have put so much emphasis on avoiding evil that we have become virtually blind to the endless opportunities for doing good.” (Chapter 2 – Initiative: Just Do Something!)

that is so true in my life.

the past 2 days (i just started reading this book) i have tried to put this stuff into practice.  trying to have such a view as i go about my day that i’m looking for opportunities to do good – opps to share Christ’s love in big or small ways.  and it has been so fun!  saying hi or having short conversations with people i see as i walk the dogs instead of turning down a different road to avoid having to talk to someone (yes, i do that way too much – guilty). helping out at the fam’s house with yard work.  going up and talking to a teenage girl from one of the youth groups that i know but have never really had a conversation with.

it’s really fun when i change my perspective on life to looking for opportunities to do good instead of focusing on my own life and trying to “avoid sinning”.  in essence, i think that focusing on my own life and just trying to get by as a “good Christian” is sinning because i’m being selfish and not sharing the love with Jesus every chance i get.

i’m lovin’ this book.