The Choice Is Ours (Lent 1)

March 1st, 2009 Posted in writing

Some people say our life is God’s gift to us and what we make of our lives is our gift back.  I believe that, and I believe what we make of ourselves is up to us. We can think and choose and, within limits, shape ourselves, and God won’t force us to be other than what we choose, even if our choices harm us or others.

The reading for the first Sunday of Lent talks about Jesus’ forty days in the desert when he made fundamental choices about how he would live and carry out his mission. He was guided by his knowledge of his Father’s desires, but the decisions were also his. He chose the way that would bring honor to his Father and help to all of us.

What about our choices? The forty days of Lent are a good time to ask ourselves what kind of people our choices are making us, whether they are choices we make as individuals or families or churches or even nations. If we see that our choices are leading us the wrong way, we can ask God to give us the courage to change them so that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will shape ourselves into something that we’ll be proud to offer God and that God will be happy to receive.

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