Choices

Every day we make choices, most are inconsequential, most are made without much thought. Still, with depressing regularity, we face choices that we find neither easy nor perfunctory:

What should I do when I finish high school? College, a job, join the military?

I'm divorced, and I've got great job offer, but it will take me across the country from my kids. My ex says we can work in it out. What should I do?

My loved one is on life support. The doctors say there is no hope. Should I pull the plug?

I'm looking for a church. Where should I go?

The next President of the United States will have to guide this nation through perilous times. Who shall I vote for?

When we face difficult, sometimes life-changing choices, we need to look beyond ourselves for help. As a Christian, I look to Jesus as the example to follow. How did Jesus make his decisions? He grounded himself scripture, and he prayed for divine guidance. Thus, armed with knowledge and faith, he made his decisions.

We are told that Jesus was a carpenter, and I think too often we equate that profession with a lack of education, that skill with the hands somehow overrules a thirst for knowledge. Clearly that is not so. Craftmanship and knowledge produce a whole.

Remember when Jesus was only twelve, he was accidentally separated from his parents during a visit to Jerusalem. After a frantic search, they found him in the temple deep in debate with the best minds in the Holy City. "And all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and answers." Luke 2:47. Jesus knew and understood his bible - the Old Testament.

Jesus used his scriptural knowledge for more than scholarly discourse, he used the scriptures to help him make decisions. When Jesus began his ministry, after his baptism, he sought solitude in the wilderness. There he confronted three temptations and dealt with each by quoting scripture.
"And the devil said unto him, if Thou be the Son of God, command this stone, that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up unto a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this authority will I give thee, and the gloryof them... If thou, therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered, and said unto him, Get thee behind me Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord, thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son Of God, cast thyself down from here; For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee; And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou shall dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus, answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not put the Lord, thy God to the test."

Each time, Jesus reinforced his choice with the words of the Old Testament.

How do we follow Christ's example. Read and memorize. Read the Bible daily, and memorize verses related to you hopes, your dreams, your fears, your life.

When I read the Bible as a daily devotion, I prefer to read a passage in the New Testament or one of the Psalms. Choose for yourself, but read more than a single verse. Read enough to gain some insight into the context of the passage you have chosen -- you need to know what's happening around the verses you select.

Do I read the Bible daily? No. Do I want to? Yes. I believe that even sporadic attempts at daily readings help me. I can tell you that I have read all the Bible through once. One summer, I set that as my task. Every lunch hour, any free time (no TV), I read, and I did it. I did not read cover to cover. I would read in the Old Testament as long as I could stand it, then read a book in the New Testament, but I always read a book at a time.

My grandmother, however, set a far better example. She read through the whole Bible every year, even the "begats". She had a formula she use, so many chapters in the Old Testament, so many in the New every day. When her vision failed in her mid-nineties, she was not concerned because the Bible was with her -- in her memory. Over the years, she had memorized all the verses that were important to her.

As we have seen previously, Jesus could quote scripture at will. To follow in his footsteps, I believe we must memorize scripture. I know that this is not a popular or "in" pastime. We'd rather read a self-help book or go online for a discussion about relationships or God. All are fine activities, but none substitute for the ability to recall scripture at a time of stress or danger. For two thousand years, Christians have relied on the words of one book. We must learn to do so, too.

One verse that I have memorized helps my every day decision-making. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me." Matthew 25:40. When I recall these words, I assume whoever I encounter may be Christ in disguise.

A man comes to the front door. He tells me his car is out of gas. His wife and kids are waiting in it. He has no money. Could I give him five dollars for gas? I give him two. all I have. As he turns to leave, I remind him that he used the same story the last time he asked me for money.

Why did I give money to a charlatan? Because I do not know what real need he has that drives him to go door to door asking for money. God knows what he hungers and thirsts for, I do not. All I know is that he might be Christ in disguise.

Jesus read and memorized the scriptures, so he could use them to make choices. But scripture was not enough to carry Jesus from Nazareth to Jerusalem. No, Jesus' ministry depended on prayer -- his contact with the Father. When Jesus faced the life and death choice in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed: "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39. Throughout his ministry, Jesus stayed connected to the Father through prayer, and through prayer made the choices that ultimately led to the cross.

How should we pray? In private, in public, with words, without words, with sobs, with laughter. I don't think it matters how as long as we desire to communicate with God.

How do I pray? Alone, I just talk to God, about anything, about everything. I tell him my joys, my sorrows, my hopes. I ask for his affirmation, his help, his guidance. Do I receive direct answers? Rarely and never a voice in my ear. That I often don't receive an answer doesn't bother me because the purpose of prayer is not to receive a thirty-second sound bite from God. No, prayer makes us focus on God and his relationship with us as individuals. Augustine said, "God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us. " In prayer, we understand Augustine's words.

When I am faced with a devastating crisis or an horrific choice, simply chatting with God does not seem to be enough. I need something to guide my faltering thoughts. Jesus gave us a model prayer. I use it.

"Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom and the powerand the glory, forever."

I use the Lord's Prayer as scaffolding for my own, just as C. S. Lewis suggested. Sometimes, I simply add a thought of my own after each phrase, for example:

"Our Father who art in heaven," I add "Lord, I'm small and insignificant, you are infinite.

"Hallowed be thy name," I add, "I praise you and ask for help."

Other times, I substitute my words for those in the prayer, only following the general concepts. As an example, this is my prayer for guidance in choosing a presidential candiadate to support.

"Author of all creation, I praise you in all your aspects, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I acknowledge you as supreme and hope that all will know your loving kindness. Help me as I face the decisions of daily life. Help me to choose wisely and with your Spirit in my heart. Our nation must choose a President. I have only one vote, but I want to cast it in light of your will. Guide me to see these men as you see them and to choose wisely. I know that others will not vote as I do, but feel just as I do that they voted in accordance with your will. Help me to understand how that can be. Help me not to let my emotions drive my reactions to those who choose differently, it is so tempting. Let me remember that in your creation you can use whoever wins to guide and protect this nation. You are master of all, the past, present, and future. Always let it be thy wil, not mine. Amen."

Try a prayer patterned on the Lord's Prayer yourself. You have nothing to lose and much to receive.