Choose Life!

I've been meaning to write this post and got a little busy.  Then a friend was wondering where I'd been.  God reminded me where my focus needed to be...


I was once again reading one of my christian fiction books by Karen Kingsbury.  The woman lost her husband, a firefighter, on 9/11 in NYC.  You see, she was not a christian but he was devoted to God. She had always been terrified a fire would take him away.  But God brought about crazy circumstances to help her through it. 
Her husband left behind a legacy.  He had notes and highlights all through his bible and even messages to his wife.  He also kept a daily journal of his time with God. 

One day she was flipping through Deuteronomy and the verse he marked for her was about choosing life:

"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live"
--Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV

She was living in her husband's memory for too long and through this verse, she knew God was telling her to choose life, not death.

Well, the next day, I received Lifeway's ad and in it was Beth Moore's "The Law of Love, Lessons from the Pages of Deuteronomy" bible study.  Hmmm....mere coincidence?  Then I received Klove's daily verse - Deuteronomy 30:20 (yes, the next verse).

NLT - "You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life."

NIV - " and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

Yes, God, I will go and I will get that bible study on your command!  I will choose the life you have for me, the abundant life that is your plan, and not mine. 

I am now in the process of setting up a schedule for our church women to go through this study.  I do not know what he has in store for us, but I believe it's his plan we do it.


In the time since this happened, I've needed the reminder to choose life.  I tend to lose focus and get bogged down with parenting issues.  But God is faithful to keep reminding me to focus on him and his path.  Thank you, Lord.  Today I choose life!