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Everybody Makes Choices, Even If We Don't Realize It

We all make choices. We do. We choose and we choose, over and over again, day after day after day. From what flavor we'll brush our teeth with to what foods will dirty them all over again. From what music we will distract ourselves with while performing any myriad of tasks. From what we will say or not say to those we have chosen to visit, call or pester.

We all make choices.

And let's not dare question that we have a right to our choices. From what we are offended by to how we might offend others, we like having our ability to choose. Isn't that why Americans claim the prize of 'there's no better place to live'? I like living here. I just chose to use that as an example of how much we like our freedom to choose. (See what I did there? I talked about choices by choosing my words. So clever...)

Tell someone they have no options and watch them squirm. Deny me of something, even if I didn't want it 5 seconds before, and now I can't get my mind off wanting to be able to choose that very thing. Oh, psychology, how you mess with me!

What I find remarkable is how, in all of our choosing, we seem to overlook everyone else's ability to do the same. If we all make choices, shouldn't it be assumed that others will choose differently? And isn't it likely that their different choices will impact my choices in some discernible way? And won't some of those affects be less than desirable?

Choices. It's what makes this world so difficult to live in. It's also what makes the gospel so beautiful. Wait, come again?

For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. ~1 Thessalonians 5:9
Did you see it?

For God chose. God made a choice. He chose.

The fact that God chose to save us meant He could have chosen to condemn. The fact that God chose to send Jesus means He could have chosen not to. God chose not to pour out His anger on us. You see where I'm going by now. God could have chose differently.

I'm so glad God chose like He did. What, besides love, would motivate someone to do that? We are the ones who get to be the object of His affection. Now that we know this to be true, how will it impact the choices we make?
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