The God-Given Choice

One morning, I woke up thinking about choices.

I thought, God created us. He could easily have demanded that we “do His will.” But He did not. He gave us a choice. On one side, there is life; on the other, there is death. He encourages us to choose life, but we have free will. We are free to choose death.

But what exactly does that mean? I wondered.

After a few minutes of pondering, I decided to leave the question hanging.

Later the same morning, during worship, while singing “God on the Mountain” by Lynda Randle, the parable of the lost sheep came to my mind.

I opened my Bible to Luke and read, “Then Jesus told them this parable: ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent’ ” (Luke 15:3–7, NIV). After reading the story, I reflected deeply on my childhood. I thought of how my parents would have handled my disobedience if I had wandered away.

Let me tell you, my tail end would be blistered for days to come.

But what picture did Jesus paint of the shepherd? He searched diligently, and when he found the sheep, he threw a party! Sometimes we struggle to grasp this—that there is rejoicing in heaven over the sinner who repents.

Given our tendency toward impatience and anger toward each other, I find this story mind-boggling. I asked myself, How can Jesus, the high, holy, and exalted One who has a host of celestial beings bowing before Him, care so much for me? That thought left me singing and rejoicing. Oh! I so want to love and appreciate my God.

I so want to learn His ways and do His will.

I want to remember that He gave me the gift of choice—and I have chosen to love, worship, and serve Him always.

Jasmine E. Grant