Make Good Choices

Starting around age 12, whenever I would leave the house to go to my friends' houses or parties or anywhere to socialize, my mom would give me a hug and a kiss and say "Make good choices". This phrase was especially used once I started driving and was able to make more decisions by myself. These three words summed up all the things that my mom really wanted to express. I think if she would have had the opportunity to say what she really meant, the following things may have been spoken: "Make good choices so you don't have to face bad consequences. Make good choices so you won't need to ask for forgiveness later. Make good choices so we can trust you and maintain a good relationship with you. Make good choices because your choices reflect us." Though I made a lot of good choices, I also made a lot of bad choices. And I can honestly say that the decisions in which I willfully chose to avoid my mom's urging to "Make good choices" were the decisions that made my life harder, that strained my relationships, and that led to bad consequences.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 says "I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse. A blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin on you today; a curse if you do not obey the commandments". Every day this decision is set before us. Every day we are granted the choice: blessing or curse. Life or death. God or self. We are given the decision to choose obedience or disobedience, selflessness or selfishness, humility or pride, self-donation or self-gratification. In the crazy radical love of God, he offers us a choice.

But he does not leave us with the inability and incompetency to make the right decision. While growing up, when I made decisions, most of the time I heard my mom's voice saying "Make good choices. Make good choices." Though I wasn't WITH her, she was still helping me to make the decisions that were best. The Lord goes beyond this. He grants us the Spirit. When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death, he spoke these words to them, "When he comes, he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation" and continues to say that "he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak of his own, but will speak what he hears" (John 16:8, 13). We are given the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of Truth--to direct us to make choices based on goodness that will lead to our sanctity.

But this gift of the indwelling of the Spirit still requires of us a response--a desire for that Spirit to be more greatly awakened in our lives. We still have the choice to allow the Spirit to work. We have the choice to respond to the Gifts that the Spirit wants to give (Isaiah 11:2-3). We have the choice to ask the Spirit to infuse within us the fruits of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). He that "remains with you, and will be in you" will not change you and sanctify you WITHOUT you. It's still our choice to let him.

Today, let us, make a humble and sincere prayer to the Spirit. May we come to him, begging that he might accomplish the great work of our sanctification. Instead of withholding ourselves in pride and self-reliance, let us humbly acknowledge our inability to make good choices without his intervention. And with the help of his grace, may we choose to allow him to make us holier today--people of virtue, people of integrity, people of prayer whose lives bear witness to the love of our God. Come, Holy Spirit, and increase within us the desire for goodness and the courage to allow this goodness to prevail in our thoughts and our actions. Fill us with yourself that today, we might not act out of self-love and pride, but might be guided by you, O Spirit of Truth, Mercy, and Love! Come, Holy Spirit!