Try and look back to a time where you were truly, completely innocent; not a worry in the world. When I picture it, I see a time back when I was 4 or 5 and my big sister lined a little red wagon with a hand-knitted blanket, laid me down on it and pulled me around our front yard. I was so happy, so innocently childlike and so full of God-given life.
Satan is sly and works in ways that even the best seeing eye could find hard to track. Using your friends, your family and even your body to turn you away from innocence and onto a downward slope. The strangest thing is that he makes you believe that what you’re doing is okay! As if one “minor” sin isn’t detrimental. If you’re like me, someone gives me an inch and I take a mile. Such is the same with sin.
How many of us have gossiped about a friend or our own family members?
How many of us have looked at what others have and thought to ourselves, “They don’t deserve that. I DESERVE that. They haven’t worked half as hard as I have in my life, heck they don’t even have a grain of dirt under their nails!”
How many of us have loathed a person so much that they wished they would take their last breath and leave us all happier without them?
How many of us have taken things without permission, dismissing stealing as, “eh, they won’t notice it’s gone. It’s something small and I need it more.”
How many of us have had sex outside of marriage, lusted towards a taken or married man/woman or cheated on our partners?
How many of us have cursed our parents or even come to blows with them?
How many of us have thrown God out the window and worshipped worldly things? objects, people, alcohol.. making these things the center of our universe?
How many of us have said, “I don’t have enough time for church, there’s better things to accomplish on a Sunday than sit in a cramped space listening to a man babble on about God?”
How many have spoken God’s name in vain in regular conversation as if it were something as simple as talking about the weather?
How many of you are guilty of even one of these things?
I know for myself I would have to raise my hand to every single one of them. But you know what I realized, not a single one of these things has brought ME happiness, ever.
Newton is quoted saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.”
Well, ladies and gentlemen, if you think that continuing doing even one of these things repeatedly with the expectation that it will make you happy, you are insane. But, join the club!
I’m not saying that any of us are even remotely innocent, that would be laughable. We are completely and irrevocably sinners at heart, BUT we are without a doubt capable of change.
You could be 5, 16, 27, 38, 43, 58, 66 or a 100 years old AND YOU ARE STILL CAPABLE OF CHANGE.
I thought for many years that alcohol brought me happiness, heck it made me relax.. made things easy to laugh about and it would even make me forget my worries. But that was only temporary. Each and every time I drank I would wake up 10x more depressed without a single thing solved. But, I did it again and again and again. I lost friends, relationships, gained weight and hated myself and my body. What good came out of this? Nothing. A night of ease for a year of regret. It’s just not worth it.
The lies, the jealousy, the stealing, the lust, the sex, the hate, the fighting, the greed, the laziness and stubbornness.. how do these things make you feel?
They make you feel like dying.
If you are guilty of repeatedly letting even one of these things take over your life, than you are addicted to death. We all are. But, like an alcoholic at an AA meeting, though the addiction is still there, we are capable of making the choice to stop indulging in what harms us. We have the choice to stop giving into death and to walk towards life, a step at a time.
But, that choice is up to you and only you.
I recommend choosing life, I mean, it’s pretty great!
Instead of gossip, ask yourself why YOU are upset and try to find it in your heart to forgive what that person committed against you. Holding a grudge doesn’t only affect the person you’re upset against, it affects you too. Let it go.
Instead of being jealous of what others have, take a look at what YOU have and stop comparing. Comparison is not of God, it’s of the devil. It’s a gateway that starts with jealousy and leads to hate. Choose to be content with what you have been blessed with and be happy for what others have been blessed with. Simple as that.
Instead of sleeping around, take pride in yourself, respect your body and have the courage to say “No” and know that great things are worth waiting for.
Instead of stealing, know that if you work for the things you want most, you will appreciate them so much more. You are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to, don’t let Satan convince you that a short-cut is the best way.
Instead of cursing your parents and coming to blows with them, take a breath and choose to be the bigger than the present situation. Choose to love, even when love doesn’t seem possible.
Instead of convincing yourself that there is no time for church, try to realize that an hour dedicated to God is much more fulfilling than an extra hour of sleep.
Most importantly, forgive yourselves, beloveds.
Today is a new day.
Stop saying, “I can’t do this. I can’t change. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.
YOU CAN.
Repeat it again. You can.
Let today be the day you put an end to things and actions that only do you harm. Put an end to chasing death and run towards life, for there is no malice in God’s plans for you.
“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care– then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” Philippians 2:1-4
So blessed we are, beloveds, to have choice.
I choose life.
