02/12/2008: "The Choices We Make"
I have recently been thinking about what it means to be a Christian. I have also been thinking, how a Christian driven life would be like. Not just those who have found God later in life, but also especially from someone who was raised believing in God all his life. You see, I believe that everyone, whether you are raised Christian or not, are still presented with choices, all throughout life, that determine both your desire to be with God and how close you are with God.
I am convinced that, no matter how well you were raised in the knowledge of the Almighty, how well you have been educated, or how dedicated you might have been at a young age, we all reach a crossroads in life where we have to make a decision to choose between God and our own will.
I suppose it's the same vital point in which we ask ourselves whether we want to continue being followers of Christ, or whether we want to be our own person. To give an example, if you were old enough to finally move out of your parent's house and live on your own, would you, by your own free will, continue to follow Christ? Would we actually have the desire within our own hearts to continue to live with God? Or would we forget about it all and go our own way now that we don't have to follow our parent's rules?
When you're young, this might never cross your mind, even at an older age; the thought of departing from the lord might be too inconceivable a thought. But what I am really trying to get at is that sometimes, it doesn't have to hit you right away, and the event does not have to be as big as moving out on your own. These critical points in life can and most often are, very small.
It's different for everyone, but each of us will face this not just once, but many times! A small little decision in life, a tiny choice, of whether you should do this or that. And it will hopefully dawn on you, if this were to be one of those critical points, how significant that choice would be because you will be choosing between following God or following your desires. I know that in your heart, you would never dare question your faith, and you would pray that you always follow the right path. But what I am trying to warn you about, is that we could be making these choices everyday unaware, and that we could very well be, by the way we live our lives, saying no to God.
So please take the time to look deep inside yourself, how you live your life day by day, and ask yourself, is this what God wants for me? Am I doing what God wants me to do? What am I doing wrong if anything? And ask God to guide you. Don't get caught up in the world. I know it's very easy to do. But with determination and the help of God, we can stop ourselves and get back on the right track if we find ourselves a little off.