“Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before…either into a creature that is in harmony with God…or into one that is in a state of war with God. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.”
C.S. Lewis


I heard a sermon some time ago about “choice”. It stayed with me because the Pastor talked about the way our choices – in fact one choice – can change the whole course of our lives either for good or bad; or as C.S. Lewis said, in harmony with God or at war with God.

There is, of course, the biggest choice of all. God has set before us life or death. It is our choice to either to accept or reject the salvation He offers us. Once the choice is made to accept Jesus as Savior, the real “journey of choices” begins. There have been times in my life I wish the Lord had, upon salvation, transformed me into a little robot. Then He could program me to make wise choices and to become all He desired for me to be. However, He has chosen to leave the decision making to me. It is called free will, and it comes with great responsibility.

It is true He has not left me strictly on my own in this process. He has given me His Holy Spirit to empower me to do all that He has called me to do. The choice to allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through me is mine however. I can choose to listen to the still, small voice, or I can drown it out with the voice of self. It is the ordinary choices of day to day living that bring my life into harmony with God.

The other day I was praying for some truly overwhelming needs in the lives of the people I care deeply about. I thought, “Lord, how did the words suffering, and sorrow and illness and pain come into being? They came by choice” was the reply spoken gently into my heart. Sometimes these words become a part of our daily vocabulary because of the choices we’ve made, and other times through no fault of our own. Yet at the very beginning of time, a choice was made, and the perfect life God had created was changed.

The good news is that the choice did not irrevocably change everything. God, with unfathomable love, made a way back. So it is with us. We can make choices that, on the face of it, would seem to have ruined our lives forever. We believe that there is no way back. But God……in infinite love and mercy always stands ready, with open arms, to draw us back. We need only choose to go to Him for forgiveness and restoration.

I pray daily that the Lord will give me wisdom and discernment and grace to make wise choices. I fall short so many times, but He is faithful to forgive and give me a new start if I come to Him for forgiveness. The choice is mine.

For more writings on this C.S. Lewis quote go to Christine's blog.

Blessings,