“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Raising children sure isn’t a walk in the park! You think you’ve covered all the bases and then something squeezes up from the mire, like Jell-O if you throw a rock in it. My youngest is getting ready to go off to college, and I feel like I am trying to jam 18 years of parenting into the next six weeks before he leaves. Did I tell him everything? Is he prepared for every situation? Will he make good choices? Does he know how to do laundry?

His imminent departure has made me think about all the choices that our kids have to make.

The little ones: What sports will I play? Who will be in my friend circle? What music genre will I embrace? And the more important ones: Where will I go to University? What will I major in? What will my career be? Who will I marry? These are major decisions. And we worry that our kids aren’t up to making these decisions without us. I found my anxiety level rising as all the end of the school year rites of passage leading up to graduation took place. Will he be able to make good choices when he’s on his own? And then I remembered that there really is only ONE important choice in life. And what is the biggest choice in life? Pretty straight forward. Who will I follow?

Clicking into place

And if we get THAT choice right, every other choice will click in place like the Chinese lock in Harry Potter’s bank.

When we make the choice to follow Christ, when we choose to crown Him as King of our life, we “trust in the LORD with all our heart and lean not on our own understanding; but in all our ways submit to him, he will make our paths straight.” Psalm 3:5-6 That single choice, to trust in Him, affects so many of our future decisions. When we choose Him, we have the advantage of having the greatest guide by our side, steering us in our day-to-day decisions. If our choices are in line with His will, they all turn-out— maybe not the way we had envisioned or planned, but they all turn out according to his will and purposes. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.“ Romans 8:28

I am grateful to God that my youngest has made his decision. And while this commitment doesn’t guarantee an easy or pain-free life, it’s better than the alternative! I wonder if that’s what Joshua was getting at when he addressed his people in Shechem?

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

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