CHOICE

What even is a choice?  What does it mean? Why does it hold a huge value on how we live our life?   Well according to google, the definition of choice is “an act of choosing between two or more possibilities.” However, to me its much more, choosing between the right or wrong, truth or lies, life or death, adventure or nothingness, happiness or sorrow, joy or anger, trust or mistrust, loved or lonely,etc..

I was talking with my squad mentor Stephen about our choices in life and he began to explain to me that all decision in our lives fall under 3 category’s. The 3 things we have control over in our life are; our choices, our attitudes and who we trust. So I did a bit of research on it and this is what I found;

  O U R   C H O I C E S

• the first thing we can control are our choices. When things are not meeting up to your expectations and things are not going our way, the last thing people want to do is surrender those few things they still have control of. We (maybe just myself) tend to act like children, believing if we can’t have all the toys, we’re not allowed to have any. This comes in the form of blaming and getting upset. We blame others for the choices WE make.  “Someone did this to me so now I HAVE to do this.” Our choices, however, belong to us and only us. I am responsible for my decisions. The circumstances around me are never powerful enough to deny me my choices. They may limit choice, but they cannot deny my ability to choose. We were given the gift of choice from the Lord. We have the the CHOICE to follow Him, love him and obey him. He is not forcing ANYONE to do anything he simply gave us the ability to listen and its our choice whether we act on it.

O U R   A T T I T U D E

• just as we have to make decisions that dictate our choices, we have a choice on how we respond, our attitude.  I alone am the only one who can control my attitude and perspective on how I view/respond to a decision. Just as someone does not ‘make’ you angry, they can only do things that trigger your anger. The choice to adopt an attitude that does not show grace is solely ours.  In the same way, we are not slaves to the perceptions presented to us. There are multiple outcomes to a situation  in life and it is up to each individual to control the way they see the world around them. We can chose to hold a grudge or we can chose to forgive and move forward.

W H O M   W E   T R U S T 

• It is entirely within my power to determine whom I take into my trusted circle and whom I leave out. Whether it be God, a family member, specific friends, or ‘no one’, we can control where to put our trust. Trust is a dance between being known and being exposed. It is up to each of us where we allow that authority into our lives.

I have been trying to apply these to my life here in Cambodia. 

1. A choice: I think for me it has been what has been coming out of my mouth and I got lazy in my relationship with the Lord, and let me tell you it showed.. I was reading the beginning of James the other day (I LOVE JAMES ITS SOOO GOOD AHH)and the first 3 chapters are fire but 3:4-6 really stuck out to me. It talks about how a boat is driven and ‘persuaded’ by winds but are steered by a rudder and it steers the boat down the right path. Likewise to us our tongue has the power to be steered by circumstances around us but its the spirit and the individuals choice to direct themselves down the right path. The path that speaks life, not death and destruction. As in John 10:10 we are here to show the Lords life abundantly not steal kill and destroy. It has lately been brought up that the words or the way I can sometimes come across is not bringing life and making others feel inferior, and I really don’t want that to be the case. I want what comes out of my mouth to be steering me in the right direction not driven by the winds around me. It is my choice to love the lord and love those around me as myself, and that includes lifting them up with my words not putting them down because I am hot and don’t care the impact that my words could have on someone. 
2. My attitude: As I’ve said in my past blogs, IT IS SOOOOO HOT HERE! I don’t mean just a nice sunny summer hot 35ºC day in Alberta, but a sauna with 45ºC and like 80% humidity with sweat literally dripping off your elbows. A common attitude could be frustrated, annoyed, feeling trapped, can’t think or want to do anything, snappy, irritable, a bully, selfish and just fed up. I can say all theses things because this is what I felt for about the first 2 weeks here in Cambodia, along with most of the squad. Through some feedback to the team as a whole we were able to see that we had let our circumstances dictate our feeling and attitudes. Within those first 2 weeks I also only picked up my bible 2x and that was another major factor to it. Without spending time with the Father and reading my bible, I didn’t walk out in His love or show grace at all, I simply acted out of the flesh. Since being in Cambodia now for a month I am trying to pay more attention to my words and actions because there is another alternative for me to act. 
3. Trusting: this one has been the hardest for me lately. Putting my trust into God’s plan that it will all work out in His timing and doesn’t need to be all done and planned in this moment. Trusting that he will make my windy paths straight. Trusting that He will never leave me. Trusting when He says ‘I’ve got this’. Letting go of unreasonable expectations that I put on myself and others. I’ve been given this choice who I can trust and who I don’t. Trusting that friends will stay loyal when they say something they follow through with it.