Options

Many of the kids I grew up with didn’t know they had options.  They “knew” who they were going to work for.  They “understood” the career choices available to them.  Even the places where they could live were structured, chosen, and accepted.  I doubt our parents realized what we were learning.  Yet their desires for their kids success as well as the avoidance of problem areas led to very stifling discussions when it came to careers, places to live, and lifestyle choices.  Like many other things in life, I didn’t listen very well. 
 
I found myself willing to explore the impossible.  I listening to the excitement in my mother’s voice when I expressed a willingness to head out into the unknown.  I knew my Dad was going to be there, helping where and when he could along the way.  In large part their encouragement led to foundation which in turn gave me the confidence to try the impossible.  It was and is one of the most staggering gifts a parent can give a child.
 
The reality is simply this; you and I, everyone, has as many choices as we believe we have.  God has given us the ultimate freedom.  We can, and do, choose our own destinies.  The choices we make have incredible consequences.  Lives are shaped, communities influenced, and our ultimate destinies determined. 
 
My warning to all who influence others, and this includes all of us, is this; help people see and understand the freedom they have.  This includes encouragement, feedback when requested, and support when needed.  Give God the space to do divine work.  We are merely God’s agents.  We do not, should not try to play the role of God in anyone’s life, including our own!  Additionally, let God have a chance.  “Doom to those who go off to Egypt thinking that horses can help them, impressed by military mathematics, awed by sheer numbers of chariots and riders—and to The Holy of Israel, not even a glance, not so much as a prayer to God.”  (Isaiah 31.1)  Today’s options are wide open.