Choosing to Choose
Galatians 5:13, 16-17, 22-24
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
The lessons we learn on the World Race, sometimes are able to stick out to us quite a bit more vividly than I would have had learned them at other times, so I wanted to share something else I have been learning during this journey with the Lord once again!
During the past 7 months and now in my 8th month of the World Race, I am often confronted with the realization that literally everything is a choice. There is a choice to choose Joy, choose to love you team mate, choose to be intentional in ministry, to choose to spend time with the Lord, to pray for others, and there is the choice to not do any of these. These choices logically seem easy and understandable but, the reality in my own “Normal” life or in this year of the World Race, these choice are actually quite difficult at times. These choices push me to make a choice, which brings my mind present and to a place of accountability for my attitude, my reactions, and my expectations.
It is easy, on the race or in my traditional life to replace the choice to spend time with the Lord, or to show another person affection, consideration because I just “got busy” choosing MY self, MY life, MY work, MY friends, MY family, and all of the errands on the giant lists I have. The choice to choose my self fills me up which increases my arrogance and I begin to tell myself these things are IMPORTANT and these things will SATISFY my desire to be important… ahh what crap is that! Each of the things I listed above are important, beautiful and extremely precious to me… but none of these will satisfy me! But then there is this beatitude the reaches out to me,
“ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” Matthew 5:6
And so, in each passing month of this year on the World Race, my choice are choosing the Lord, what is holy and righteous, I want to be satisfied in the Lord ALONE!
I must confess that I am a chronic runner, not in the physical fitness sense but, in the emotional… this crap is hard to deal with so I am going to take a hike and hide to avoid the full impact of this situation. Running and hiding has manifested itself in so many ways that I even am not aware I am running sometime, till I get called out on it! I have hidden behind the “ God card” to get out of relationships, through alcohol to avoid feeling the pain of a disappointment or my favorite creating a tangly web of thoughts or justifications to avoid the truth! But, in the end, the truth always comes to light and I stand before the Lord … so in this year I am finding myself in the “ pressure cooker” of a life experience that expedites the learning of lessons that I would rather choose to run from.
I am so thankful that I said yes to come on the World Race and said yes to return to the race and have incredible squad mates around me that won’t let me back out or back down from this experience. To learn to choose the Lord every day, every moment, to stand in front of him transparent, not running and not hiding is a transforming experience! It has come with pressure and trials but is worth every bit of the hard moments to feel Free and every time I say Yes to the Lord, say Yes to Love my team, Yes to Love others, Yes to Love my Lord, and Yes to love myself I am set free! Free Indeed!
Choosing to Choose, is a daily process of setting my selfish ambitions to the side and setting my sass on the shelf and choosing to be obedient!
“ 16 You did not choose me, but i chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit- fruit that will last and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other” – John 15:16-17
