Choose Life

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

Deuteronomy 30:19

The older I get, I focus more on my family’s lives and less on my own. Opting for life-giving choices benefits me as well as others. I am motivated to eat healthier so I will be around for my children and, hopefully one day, for any grandchildren that may come along. I haven’t adopted a challenging exercise regime although I still retain that hope!

Good physical choices benefit for our children and so do good spiritual choices. Their spiritual lives are enriched and grow when we choose life and blessings over death and curses.

If someone offends me or hurts my feelings, I can rant about them or I can pray blessings for them. I can plead my case to whomever listens concerning disagreements, hoping to garner support for my opinion or action. Or I can talk to God about my hurt feelings instead of others.

When my children want to branch out and try something new, I have the choice to encourage them or to point out all the reasons they might fail. Supporting my children shows them I believe in them and gives them motivation to try. When my children fight with each other, I can punish them or talk with them about God’s way to handle arguments. Ephesians 6:4 says, Do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

I can choose to harbor grudges against people or forgive them, as Jesus forgives me. I can choose to guilt my children into spending time with me or I can be happy my children are out living life. I want them to hang out with me because they desire a relationship, not because I’ve manipulated them.

Jesus modeled life-giving choices for us. We are modeling Jesus to our children when we choose life and blessings.

Terri