The Choice for Today

My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praises to you [God];
my soul also, which you have rescued. - Psalm 71:23

"Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgement, but has passed from death to life." - Jesus (John 5:24)

Dear Friends in Christ -

Every day, I have a choice: to hope or to despair.

The evidence for hope shows up first: the sun rises, so bright that even on days like today, when there is a great blanket of clouds between it and me, the light shines through to waken the birds, and their songs waken me.

The evidence for despair arrives close on the sun's heels: the news on the radio breaks into the morning quiet with the latest about war and natural disaster abroad, about state budget cuts and school bullying.

At a fundamental level, the evidence on both sides is "true." So then it's up to me. I have to make the choice. What will I choose to focus on? What emphasis will order my day?

God's desire for what I should choose is no secret. Joy . . . hope . . . truth . . . and He states it most clearly in the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy. He says, "CHOOSE LIFE!"

So this day, I'm not going to forget about the things in this world that are broken and unjust, painful and wrong. I'm just going to breathe God's love in deeply and work like crazy to share that love, until all creation is choosing Life as one.

Faithfully choosing,
Janet+