Choosing God

Sometimes we forget that we are able to, and in my opinion are called to, make a choice for God. Now for many of us, a choice was made when we were just babies. Parents have a right, and indeed an obligation to decide what kind of (if any) relationship their child will have with God. This is only natural, as much as they have to choose what food the child will eat, clothes they will wear, and with whom the child will associate.
But as we age, we also have decisions to make. We discover that we like different foods, different taste in clothes, and choose different friends than our parents. Sadly, too many people never make a conscious decision regarding their relationship with God. This shows itself in many ways. Instead of choosing how they will relate to God, they simply drift away from the faith of their childhood, not quite abandoning it, but allowing it to move to out of their conscious thoughts. Not only does church become marginalized, but God does too.
As the demands placed on us by parents fall away with maturity, religion tragically is too often a casualty. it goes out the window with curfew, allowances and borrowing the car. But I believe it is an important part of maturity to make a decision regarding our relationship with God. In choosing God, I am actually responding to God's choice. For you see, God has chosen me first. And in this choice I make, I am deciding whether or not to consciously work on my relationship with God.
We can compare it to human interactions.  When you think about your friends from childhood, you can probably place them in several categories: those with whom you have lost touch completely, those you see or speak with occasionally, and those with whom you have maintained a close relationship. Now, the ones who are in the third category are not there by accident. At some point, you and they made a conscious decision to work on the friendship, not letting it fall away. It requires phone calls, visits, communication. It was a choice and continues to be a choice that requires work! We have the same options with God. We have to make a choice and continue to make that choice each day. At any time we can decide to let a friendship slip away, if we choose not to maintain the contact. And both parties have to decide and work on it.
God makes the decision every day to reaffirm His love for us and to work on the relationship.
Today I am making a choice again. I am choosing God. I hope you will think about it. And I hope that you too will choose God!