I Choose...
Spontaneous Ponderings
Approximately 14 years ago, I was going through a rough time in my life. During that time, I wrote this list of 15 characteristics that I wanted to choose in my life. Looking back, I’m not sure I’ve attained all of these, but hopefully I’m further along the road than I was then. I know I’ve healed a lot and grown significantly in my faith since then. I hope you enjoy some thoughts from a much younger me, and hopefully they’ll inspire you to make some new choices as well.
I choose LOVE…
I choose to accept God’s love for me that was ultimately shown through Christ’s death on the cross. I choose to return that love with all my mind, spirit, soul, and strength. I choose to extend that same unconditional love to those around me. I choose to love regardless of what others have done right or what they have done wrong. I choose to accept others as they are - for who they are right now and not who they might be someday or who they were in the past. I choose to always want what is best for others, regardless of whether or not they deserve it. I choose to be willing to sacrifice my own needs and desires in order to allow others to have what they desire. I choose to love others with God’s love, free from any restrictions.
I choose HUMILITY…
I choose to humble myself to be a servant as Christ did instead of insisting on being served. I choose not to think of myself as better than others. I choose to remember that we are all imperfect creatures that need God’s love and forgiveness. I choose to see others through God’s eyes and allow His love to flow through me for them instead of thinking that they are not worthy of my time or attention.
I choose FORGIVENESS…
I choose accept God’s forgiveness for all the sins I have committed. I choose to believe that Christ has paid for those sins through His death and resurrection and therefore God has chosen to forget those sins and only see me as covered by the blood of Christ. I choose to not allow Satan to keep reminding me of those sins and to make me feel guilty for them all over again. I choose to ask for forgiveness from those whom I have wronged, and to be grateful for their forgiveness when it is extended to me. I choose to extend that same forgiveness to those who have wronged me. I choose to not keep track of their faults and hold those things against them but to forgive those sins and forget them as God has done for me.
I choose MERCY…
I choose to accept God’s gift of mercy. I choose to remember that because of His perfection, He has the power to punish my sins, yet He chooses mercy instead. I choose to realize that instead of this punishment that I deserve, Christ chose to take the punishment upon Himself on my behalf. I choose to keep His act of mercy in my mind as I see imperfection in others and remember that His mercy is for everyone. I choose to show that mercy to others when they have done wrong.
I choose GRACE…
I choose to accept God’s grace. I choose to recognize that God has given me so many more blessings than I ever deserved, including His forgiveness and love. I choose to realize that if God has extended His grace to me with all of my faults, then in His love I must extend that grace to others. I choose to allow God’s grace to flow through me so that others will see Him through my life.
I choose THANKFULNESS…
I choose to be thankful for each day that God has given me to enjoy His love and His world. I choose to be thankful for every circumstance God has placed in my life, whether it seems good or bad, because I know God has my best interests at heart. I choose to be thankful for each person that God has put me in contact with because each one touches my life in a different way. I choose to be thankful for the job he has placed me in regardless of how much I enjoy the work, because I know that there are many who would love to have a job to go to each day to help pay the bills.
I choose KINDNESS…
I choose to be kind to others because that is how I would like to be treated. I choose to show kindness to those who serve me, including waiters/waitresses, cashiers, custodians, and others who we often take for granted. I choose to be kind to those who are not always kind to me. I choose to be kind to the “least of these,” because that was Christ’s mission.
I choose PATIENCE…
I choose to accept God’s patience with me when I mess up, because He understands that I am still a work in progress. I choose to be patient with myself, because I understand that I am still a work in progress. I choose to be patient with others because I understand that they are also a work in progress. I choose to not get upset when I am expected to wait for others because I know there are times when others also have to wait for me. I choose to not get frustrated when others don’t understand what I’m teaching them, because I remember times when I also did not understand.
I choose JOY…
I choose to accept the joy that God desires for each of us. I choose to understand that even when I don’t feel happy, I can still feel joy because I know that I am a beloved child of God. I choose to see the value in the little things that make life worth living. I choose to find joy in the hard times because I know God is using that to mold me into the person He wants me to be. I choose to find joy in the good times because I recognize that God has given me that time to bask in his blessings.
I choose INTEGRITY…
I choose to live my life with integrity so that others can see Christ in me. I choose to be honest with everyone I come in contact with, even in the little things. I choose to be reliable so that others can count on me when I have committed to doing something for or with them. I choose to be sincere in my concern for others without allowing the information they have shared with me to become gossip. I choose to honor others as God’s workmanship and in so doing remember that they are worthy of my best effort.
I choose CONTENTMENT…
I choose to allow God to provide me the strength to live life in moderation. I choose to recognize that I do not need the biggest and best of everything but can be content with what I have. I choose to realize that I have been blessed with so much and that there are those who would feel fortunate to be able to afford even a fraction of what I can. I choose to share what I have with others without holding back the best for myself. I choose to remember that I would have nothing without God’s blessings on my life and that he has entrusted those blessings to me so that I in turn can be a blessing to others.
I choose SELF-CONTROL…
I choose to control my desires to keep them in line with what God commands. I choose to not allow anger and frustration to cause me to lose my temper. I choose to control what and how much I eat because I know that my body is God’s temple and unhealthy eating is an abuse of that temple. I choose to keep my body in shape as an additional way to take care of the body God has entrusted to me. I choose to control what I look at, read, and watch because I know what goes into my mind influences who I am as a person.
I choose PRAYER…
I choose to be in constant communication with God. I choose to remember that even though God knows my thoughts, he wants me to consciously share those thoughts with him. I choose to praise him for who he is. I choose to confess my sins to him and ask for his forgiveness. I choose to thank him for the blessings he has placed in my life. I choose to ask him for the desires of my heart, knowing that he will grant them according to his will. I choose to allow him to show me the aspects of my life that he is working on and to be open to improvement in all areas of my life. I choose to not only talk to God, but to listen to anything he may want to share with me.
I choose PASSION…
I choose to live my life with passion and to give my all in every situation. I choose to realize that without God’s passion in my life, I am just going through the motions of living. I choose to be passionate about my relationship with Christ and to share that passion with others. I choose to acknowledge that in order to fulfill God’s will for my life, I have to be willing to do my best in whatever circumstance he has put me in, regardless of whether it is something that I want to be doing. I choose to both work hard and play hard because it is in the balance of work and play that we find the most enjoyment in life.
I choose REST…
And at the end of my day, when I have done my best to please him by choosing love, humility, forgiveness, mercy, grace, thankfulness, kindness, patience, joy, integrity, contentment, self-control, prayer, and passion, I choose to rest my soul in God’s promises. I choose to lay my burdens at His feet because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I choose to rest in God’s goodness and grace. I choose to find refreshment in reading God’s word and spending time in communication with Him. I choose to remember that he works all things together for my good because I have chosen to live my life for him. And in this promise, I can truly find rest.
Which one of those spoke to you today? I’d love to hear from you by email or in the comments. For me, it was thankfulness. I guess I still need to keep working on that one!