choice

Dawn had a great way of ensuring that our two kids shared fairly: if ever there was something that had to be divided, one split it up and the other got to choose his or her half first. That was a technique meant to guard against our human tendency to take advantage of each other, and to seek the best for ourselves.

God doesn't make it that easy – he lets me choose what I want, and then live with the consequences. In Genesis 13 is the story of what took place when Abram's and Lot's herds got too big to graze together, and the two had to go their separate ways. Abram told his nephew to pick his territory first, and we read of Lot's choice in verses 10-13.

"Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord."

Lot did exactly what we all do – he took the best for himself. But he made that judgment the way I usually do, by measuring in worldly terms. The best dessert is the biggest one, the best car is the most luxurious, the best office is the corner one with lots of windows. 

Lot was unconcerned by the presence of wicked men in his territory. He could only see the richness of the land, and the easy life ahead of him. Of course, that life involved being captured by raiding kings, as we read in Chapter 14. And later, after a complete compromise of his own values, Lot would lose everything as Sodom was destroyed.

It's a reminder to me that choice is a potentially dangerous thing. My choices can reinforce my values or compromise them. My choices can move me toward or away from my Christian friends. My choices can make me more or less healthy. My choices will form my habits, which will eventually dictate most of my life. 

As I make choices, what am I looking at? Do I only see the things that will make life easy? Do I only see the things that the world values? Or do I see clearly the goals of my own sanctification, and the opportunities to fulfill my calling as part of Jesus' restoring force in this world?

These are important questions, because when I look back too often I have chose like Lot. And too often the outcomes have made obedience harder. I still look at choice like a child, zeroing in on instant gratification with the biggest or the most. 

It will take discipline to change a lifetime of practice, but there's an easy first step: prayer. Maybe I need to pray through more of my choices instead of thinking I know best. It's worth a try.