Deuteronomy 30:15 “Today I am giving you a choice between good and evil, between life and death.”

His angry-eyes and hard-core pout left me no doubt of his mood. You would think this five-year-old in time-out had been given a life sentence. My strong-willed child had once again tested and strained every nerve I had left for that day and was now borrowing on my nerves I had stored up for tomorrow. So, this spunky “little darling” sat and soaked up his “Freedom View.”

Freedom-views appear when we exercise our freedom of choice.  By the design of our gracious Father, we have freedom to dictate our actions, whether good or evil. Through these actions, we come to an understanding of consequences, realizing our choices determine our view. For my son, his poor choices put him in the time-out chair. And his freedom-view?  An up-close-up and personal inspection of our wall covered in dirty little handprints.

The fascinating stories and personalities of the Bible reveal a variety of interesting scenarios. Some of these came from opposing God’s will, resulting in a less than desirable view. When called by God to preach to the wicked city of Nineveh, Jonah exercised his freedom of choice and ran in the opposite direction.  His act of defiance provided Jonah with the most unfathomable freedom-view ever: the belly of a big fish. What a bizarre consequence!  Jonah found himself in spiritual time out and temporarily useless to God’s kingdom.

On the flip side, Ruth chose well. She could have abandoned her mother-in-law to remain with her birth family. But when she chose to accompany Naomi to her homeland, Ruth found her happy-ever-after. In spite of the hardships she endured, her view was filled with faith, love, and family.

Just like Jonah and Ruth, we reap the consequences of our actions. We choose between right and wrong. When temptations come (and rest assured they will) the decisions we make will determine our freedom-view. When life presents you with choices, are you like Ruth, turning to God? Or are you like Jonah, running in the opposite direction?

Today, Sisters, choose wisely and enjoy your beautiful freedom-view!

Father God, convict our hearts with the seriousness of our choices.

Blessings,

Rita Cochrane