Choices

“As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Luke 9:57-58).”Our lives are filled with choices. From the time we rise in the morning until the time we lay down to rest for the night we are making choices. Some sources suggest that the average adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. Who knew? So, what are some of these “conscious decisions” we make. Well, we decide when to get up, whether to set an alarm or allow your natural circadian rhythm (that 24 hour clock that is running in the background of your brain) to guide you, whether to exercise, eat breakfast, grab coffee, call in sick to work, brush your teeth, take a shower or not, wash your face, get dressed, what to wear (and these are just the decisions you make when rising each day). These decisions may seem obvious but what about the not so obvious ones like, yawning, scratching, tapping your fingers, crossing your legs, rubbing your face, etc. all are decisions whether subtle or not so much so that we make every day. I think you’re beginning to get the picture that throughout the day you’re making thousands and thousands of decisions whether deliberate or not. One decision that often gets pushed aside however is whether or not to deliberately follow Christ.Following Christ out of convenience is not a follower. Following Christ when it costs you something tests the true heart of Christ followers or disciples. In Luke 9 someone said to Jesus “I will follow you wherever you go” however before doing so he wanted to attend to other business like burying his father. You might think that this was a legitimate request however following Christ is not easy. Jesus’ response to him conveyed just that (Luke 9:58).Following Christ is a decision that is based not on what is going on or in what He can do for you but in knowing that He is truly God’s Son, the Savior of the world, the Messiah, and all things are in His hands. Following Christ means submitting to His will, denying ourselves, and doing it daily. And since we’re making thousands of decisions each day, every decision we make should be done with the consideration of “what would Jesus do”, what is His will in this situation. Even in hard times He wants us to seek Him. No matter how difficult life may be, there is comfort in and with Him. Following Christ is not losing your life but gaining life, a life that is eternal.