Two Choices

“You've got three choices, J. Michael!” I overheard Benjamin saying as he reached the swing set and positioned himself on the swing. “You can go back inside, go sit in the van, or swing me!”

I looked around the corner of the house curious to see the outcome - sure enough, J. Micheal complied to his younger brother's swing request.


I smiled, because I knew this “you got three choices” type of request, in part, came from me. I will, at times say, “You have two choices”, and since what I will be asking them is not on the top of their most favorite things to do list, I usually make the second choice so undesirable (ie going to bed, etc.) that the first one looks like heaven.

In other words, it is really not much of a choice at all. It is really more of my own way of putting things in perspective for them. I want them to realize how important it is to me, and how they will be benefited by choosing my way.

I can not help but see in this how we also have choices each day, really two. We can choose life in Christ or our own way; death.

When comparing the two choices along side each other, it seems like there really is no choice at all. The choosing of His life brings on much more challenges, like taking our own self interest off the throne of our hearts and placing God as King.

Giving HIM ownership, is allowing Him to guide and order our lives.  The ONE choice of surrender is righteousness, peace and joy.

The above was written in 2000, and the picture taken around that time, of Joseph and Benjamin.


The following is a quote from C.S. Lewis book called The Screwtape Letters.  The following is Screwtape (Sr. Demon) giving counsel to Wormwood on how to decieve humans.

“The sense of ownership in general is always to be encouraged. The humans are always putting up claims to ownership which sound equally funny in heaven and in Hell, and we must keep them doing so. And all the time this joke is that the word “mine” in its fully possessive sense cannot be uttered by a human being about anything. In the long run either Our Father or the Enemy will say “mine” of each thing that exists, and specially of each man. They will find out in the end, never fear, to whom their time, their souls, and their bodies really belong---certainly not to them, whatever happens.”~C.S.Lewis (The Screwtape Letters)

"You have been used to take notice of the sayings of dying men. This is mine: that a life spent in the service of God, and communion with Him, is the most comfortable and pleasant life that anyone can live in this world."~Matthew Henry

The spirit of submission is choosing His way over ours for His sake." - K.P. Yohannan