Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT)

Have you ever thought about the power of choice? That each choice we make can lead down different paths, to different experiences that shape us. Maybe if you got a tea instead of a coffee, you would be less wired and fall asleep soundly. Or maybe if you got a coffee instead of a tea you would be running around like never before. Each choice, to us, has its pros and cons. A choice can change a lifetime. Like the choice to rebel against an oppressor. Choices can seem complex and some are downright terrifying to face. Then some seem easy to make, things that we have done every day, their mindless.

But truth is, choices aren’t mindless. They shouldn’t be. Would you expect someone with a million dollars to be mindless with it? Power comes with responsibility. Our choices are our responsibility. They have consequences, good or bad. There is a lot to a simple choice.

Recently I watched a superhero movie and the movie used the power of choice to defeat the villain. The hero did not punch or beat the villain into submission (well they had to fight the minions) but they convinced the villain to choose to be defeated. The villain chose to give up their power. That was how the hero won. There was no final blow or awesome fight, just a person realizing that they had been making the wrong choices, and choosing in that moment the right one. There was no justification of the villain’s choices. There were no snarky comebacks, just humility and vulnerability. Through love, the villain and the hero chose right. Also, the actors and actresses did a fantastic job. I would love to tell you more and what movie it was, but I do not want to spoil the movie (the picture is a hint at what movie).

But that movie really showed me how choices can do more than we think. How much power choices carry, whether we want them to or not. They inspire, change things, show us who we really are. And making choices on our own can lead to more trouble than ever. Also, no one can handle so much power alone. We need others, we need God.

Our wonderful awesome God who gave us this power of choice. Our God who knows where each choice goes. Our God who sees the truth of our choices when we’re blind to them. We need God. Because we will be held accountable for our choices. For the power we wield. So let’s be encouraged to do right by Love, by God. Let’s choose life.