“It will, I believe, be everywhere found, that as the clergy are, or are not what they ought to be, so are the rest of the nation.”
-Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
Last night Mr. Fantastic and I talked about the will. Not the “last will and testament” kind of will, but the human will- the “chooser” inside of us.
I am beginning to think our will may simply be the crossing point of our thoughts and feelings. It is the place where our emotions and our our knowledge meet, resulting in our life choices.
Put simply, I choose to live as seems best to me. That may be a life of sacrifice. That may be a self-satisfying quest. Either way I choose.
I think this is why Jesus defines the greatest commandment as loving God with our whole heart and mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. If our choices are made in light of that kind of love we are destined for a society of people with great character.
Who I am is the result of how I choose to live.
The ripples of my life wash over the world around me for better or worse.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” -1 Peter 2:9
As believers, we are priests of God’s light. Every choice we make filters through that calling and has great power to build God’s kingdom.
May we never forget that the whispers in secret become the shouts in public. May we live lives worthy of Christ’s name. May we be who we ought to be and lead the next generation to Jesus.
Today I choose to love God and I love to choose God. That sounds like just about the perfect way to spend my weekend.
