Choices.

We make them every day, even when we don’t realize we are choosing.

Growing up, I hovered between circles of friends. It may sound amazing, being friends with everyone, but instead it proved challenging.

The challenge? These circles didn’t interlock like the Olympics symbol.

No, these circles were spread apart like the wheels on the bus. They went round and round in and of themselves, but their molecular structure kept them apart. Can you relate?

What I didn’t realize, was when I chose to hang with one circle, I was choosing not to hang with the others. I didn’t see it that way, but they did.

We tend to label groups and the people in them, don’t we?

Most labels are based on behaviors, or status, or intelligence. So in essence, we judge.

We need to peel off the labels, and cleanly.

Not like when we peel off price-tags on a gift, where remnants of the sticky part still remains.

And what about those inside the circle? They’ve made that choice. They are solid in their circle. Unlike those of us who tend to hover on the outside.

I didn’t want to choose, but by not choosing, I was choosing. I hope that makes some kind of sense, and by now you may be nodding your head. You hovered too.

Either that, or you’re scratching your head, but stay with me.

It’s similar when it comes to walking by faith. We can’t serve two masters, either we’re all in it with God, or we’re not. We can’t have one foot in the circle of truth, and the other in the circle of the world.

Because we are to be in the world, but not of it.

But we’ve done that, haven’t we? To feel a part of a circle, to feel accepted we dip a toe back into the circle of the  world.

But things are not always what they seem. We may think the world means toxic places and toxic people. We may think it means toxic behaviors like addictions, promiscuity,  gossip….

We may not realize, when we choose doubt, worry, fear of the future,  greed, pride…

we’ve stepped back into a worldly perspective.

We may not realize,

that when we choose all of that, we’re not choosing all of Him.

So there’s a choice to be made. Do we choose Jesus? Do we choose joy, and peace, and freedom?

He tells us, doesn’t He?

Not to fear.

Not to doubt.

Not to worry.

Oh we of little faith, let’s choose God.

And it’s okay to feel like an apple in a roomful of oranges.

We will at times, not because we don’t belong, but because we are called to be set-apart and holy. Those aren’t labels or vehicles to allow us to judge, those are the goals we pray everyone will break free of circles and run towards.

The choices we make today can impact our future, in both small ways and eternal ways.

It’s not always easy to choose right, and it’s not always easy to choose wise, and we need the Holy Spirit to be that compass of reason within us.

Let’s pray for strength to make God-honoring choices.

Then we can smile at the future, because He promises us one.

Filled with hope.

And besides,

strength and dignity look much better on us then that dress in the window at Macy’s.

We shouldn’t be striving to push into circles, we should be striving to widen the circle of the family of God.

It’s by no accident the earth is round.

Let’s choose to smile at the future, shall we?

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Do you know Jesus? If you’d like to know Him personally, confess what’s heavy and ask Him into your heart today. To find out more about who Jesus is, open the Bible and check out the book of John. Don’t have a Bible handy? Go to www.biblegateway.com and find the Word of truth and resources to help you dig deeper and walk deeper with Jesus.

See the Meet Jesus page on this blog,  and make that life-changing choice of the eternal kind.

~ We are on this joyful journey together. Let’s smile.