by Michael Quinn Sullivan
Listen to the Reflections Podcast
As a kid, I loved the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series of books. Maybe you remember them?
As the story progressed, you made decisions for the characters that affected the outcome. In life's daily adventure, we have an even more important choice: choosing our attitude toward the events around us.
In the Gospel of St. John, right before being betrayed, Jesus tells His disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” This comes shortly after telling them they’d always have the poor among them, that they would be persecuted for Him, and the like. Sounds like trouble, right?
“Let not your hearts be troubled.”
He could tell them that because He gave them something better to focus on. Jesus went on to say he was going to prepare a place for them in heaven – that God the Father loves them and that He is with them.
They had a choice. They could let their hearts be troubled by the grind of life in a fallen world, or they could joyfully embrace the future He had prepared for them.
This wasn’t just a choice for those disciples. It applies to each of us.
There is a lot we cannot control in life, and there is a lot of trouble around us. We get to choose our reaction to it. We get to choose our perspective.
In the Book of Joshua, two simple phrases are repeated over and over: “Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve” and “be strong and courageous.” There is a choice implicit in that second phrase: we can choose to be weak and fearful, thereby revealing who we serve.
Will we focus on the ills around us or look for solutions? Will we dwell on our present troubles or press on joyfully toward eternity?
Today and every day in the glorious adventure through life and liberty, we get to choose if we will be strong and courageous. We get to choose if we will serve the God of Creation.
So let your heart not be troubled—be strong and courageous, for we serve a mighty God who loves us!
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