Making a Choice

I learn a lot from watching my little sisters. The things they do, the choices they make, their behaviors. My sisters, like most little kids, throw temper tantrums. They get angry, they throw a fit, but most of the time they are the cutest, sweetest little things. When they are being holy terrors, well, not so cute (but still lovable).

Tonight, we have a relatively good night. It was just the little ones and I. There was a small altercation, in which one of the children got frustrated and began to cry. In our house, if we are hurt, seriously sad (which means not just sad about someone playing with your toy). I gave the authoritative look, waiting to see what she would choose. She straightened herself out, brushed the tear off of her face and moved on.

As small as that choice may have seemed. In her little life, it was a big choice. A choice between making the right decision and making the wrong decision. Even as children we are always given choices. God gives us the ability to choose which path we take. We are not forced to follow His path, He gives us a choice. The older we get, the more choices we get. We also have a new set of choices as we grow up. When you are five, your choices are, listen to your parents or don't, eat your vegetables or don't, behave or misbehave.

At eighteen you are legally an adult in the eyes of the law. At that point you are no longer obligated to follow your parents rule. By twenty one, your final restriction is lifted and you can legally purchase alcohol. However, the Bible says that we obey our parents, and again, that is a choice that each of us has to make. My choices have been questioned by so many people for so many years. I have been over eighteen for three years, but I remain in my parents home, living by their rules.

They have always given me the choice to do what I please after I turned eighteen. The only comment that has ever been made, is about making sure that what I am doing is something that I would be okay with my sisters doing in the future. I have been offered on many occasions to break free of the "control" and just "be a kid". Its not my parents that make these choices for me anymore. I cannot blame them for my mistakes nor can I pretend that they deny me my rights as an adult.

I made a choice to abstain from alcohol. I made the choice to keep myself pure until marriage. I made a choice to go to class and refrain from attending college parties. I make a choice every time I do anything. Whether that is sin, or whether that is just to get up in the morning. I do not apologize for the path that I have chosen. I do not apologize for never "being a kid". I do apologize for all of the people that I hurt along the way, when I was making the wrong choices.

I am not perfect. I will be the first to say that. I know that I come off as if I think I am better than those who make other choices, but to each his own. At the end of the day the most important thing in each of our lives, is our relationship with Jesus Christ.  What we need to remember is that our choices, though they are ours to make, effect other people. What I choose to do, does not only effect my life but the lives of my little sisters. We have the choice to lead a good, God fearing, God loving life, or we can choose to have a life full of anger and disappointment.

Simply put, you have a choices to make just as I do. You may think my choices are odd, and not like a typical college student, but here's the thing, I'm not a normal college student. Other's may think that you are odd for making the choices you've made for your life and your family, and maybe they are right. I don't want to be a "normal" college kid, because I know that God has a purpose for my life. Share it with others, lead the life where you make good choices.