Choose Life!

"I have set before you life and death,

Blessings and curses.

Now CHOOSE LIFE,

So that you and your children may live

And that you may love the Lord your God,

Listen to His voice,

And hold fast to Him.

For the Lord is your life..."

~Deuteronomy 30:19-20

"In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind... In Him we live and move and have our being... I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life... The power of life and death is in the tongue, and those who love to talk will eat the fruit of it... Yes, I am the bread of life... Listen carefully to My words, for they are life to those who find them and health to all their body... Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her... When the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace... Whoever has the Son has life... Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life... Your unfailing love is better than life itself... For You are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."

This will be my sixth year to do this focus word for the year thing (which means I have to do it at least one more). ;-)  It was TRUST for 2012, HOPE for 2013, LIGHT for 2014, BALANCE for 2015 (and later it became STRONG for 2015), and BEAUTY for 2016.

This year, as you probably guessed, I'm focusing on the phrase, "CHOOSE LIFE."

I think most Christians hear those words and their minds go to abortion and choosing life for the unborn. I'm certainly an advocate for that, but those words are much more personal for me. I have been doing well for a while, but I know what it is to be deep in the valley, to feel the "shadow of death" pressing you on all sides. To feel so much inner pain that you slowly become numb - the emotional equivalent of passing out from extreme physical pain. I know what it feels like to want to die... There is a healthy place of longing for the kingdom of Christ and acknowledging that everything on earth is partial and incomplete, and there is an unhealthy place of feeling desperate to escape the pain and uncertainty and earthly "bondage to death and decay" as the Bible calls it. I'm very familiar with both, and very aware of how quickly everything can shift, like a sudden car wreck that leaves you fighting for life when you were cruising down the road singing along to the music just minutes before. It almost makes me want a tattoo of this one for a constant reminder: Choose Life.

It's not just about choosing to physically stay alive rather than die. It's choosing to embrace things that lead to life over things that lead to death... in my food choices, music and entertainment, friendships, work, thoughts about myself and my future, words to others, daily attitudes, etc. Being vigilant to guard my heart against the arrows of Satan that lead to death, despair, and discouragement. Stopping my thoughts before they spiral out of control, praying before I say or write something I would regret, choosing to forgive rather than hold on to anger, having grace and encouragement for others rather than heavy frustration. Sometimes it's seeking counseling or other help when you need it. It is choosing to seek and follow Jesus daily. 

There are a thousand different ways that we can choose life in the little things, and making those daily choices will make it much easier to choose life when the big things arrive... When someone you love leaves you or passes away, when you lose something that cuts you right to the core, when there is an unexpected diagnosis, when your suffering feels chronic and unshakable... you will recognize that people and earthly things cannot bring you life, and instead, you will hold tightly to Jesus. And put your hope and identity and security in Him as much as humanly possible. We can choose to honor Him and really live out the full number of days God wants to give us, to trust His timing and will rather than trying to control what no longer belongs to us because it was purchased by Christ.

I want to make the daily small choices that strengthen me and lead to life (body, soul, and spirit), and to remember to cry out for more of God and more of His life whenever I feel the shadow of death creeping in...

This quote rings so true:

"When our souls feel crushed and overwhelmed, we believe ourselves to be tired of life; but it is death, not life, that wearies us.  In all our troubles, let us remember that what we lack is life – what we need is more life, more of God’s powerful presence in us that makes us more alive and whole!  When we feel broken and tired of life, let us recognize that it is actually the presence of death in this world that we are tired of.  When we feel most inclined to give up, let us rouse ourselves to live.  Of all things, let us avoid the false refuge of a weary collapse, a hopeless yielding to things as they are.  The dissatisfied ache we experience is caused by the life of God in us is crying out for more life (more beauty, freedom, restoration, love, and healing).  We are victorious when, in the midst of our pain and weakness, we cry out  -- not for death or numbness  – but for the strength to fight; for more power, more understanding, more of God in us!"

~George MacDonald (paraphrased)