"I Don't Get to Make That Choice"

I must say dozen times a day, “You get to make that choice.” Most often that is said to my kids. “You get to choose if you have a cell phone or not, because you get to choose to follow the cell phone rules or not.” I’m all about choices with my kids. Partly because then I don’t have to be the bad guy.

Funny thing is, as much as I tell others “you get to make that choice,” those closest to me often hear me say, “I don’t get to make that choice.” Hahaha! I guess I better explain since that kind of sounds like I have a double standard.

See, in March of 2004, the Holy Spirit softly asked me to make a choice. A choice to allow God to transform my character into something that looked a little more Jesus. He asked if I willing to allow Him to mold me into something that would be useful in His hands. What I probably didn’t fully understand in those moments, was that making that one choice made the choice for so many other choices. That night, like a good Christian girl, I said "Yes; transform away." Little did I know how hard that would be.

Last week, a friend said to me the words I hear so often, “I don’t know how you do it. I could never do that.” My response? “I don’t get to make that choice.”

When someone talks bad about me or tears me down to make them feel better about who they are, do I want to respond in love? Absolutely not! What I want to do is tell them and everyone else what butt they really are. But I don’t get to make those choices. I have to respond the way Christ would respond. With love, with grace, with understanding… without throwing up.

Why? Because in March of 2004, I made one of the top three most important choices I’ve ever made in my life. A choice that overrides every desired, selfish reaction … the choice to allow God to spend the rest of my life transforming my character to look a little more like the character of His son...