The Freedom to Choose

The other day as I was driving into town in the midst of what looked like a blizzard, I found myself getting very irritated. You see, I don’t like snow. When I see snow, I see a white prison. I see something that keeps me trapped at home when I may have a class to go to, work I need to do, or errands to run. I see something that keeps my daughter out of school; and makes me have to change my schedule around. In short I see something that makes me feel powerless, and I hate that feeling. So, after I finished complaining to my boyfriend about the weather (he is such a good listener), I decided that I needed a spiritual attitude adjustment. Don’t we all need those sometimes? So as I made my way to Panera in order to sit in front of their fireplace and read, God told me to start with His words about freedom. Let’s start here:

“…The Lord sets prisoners free.” (Psalm 146:7, NIV)

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV)

What this all says to me is that I am free. Free from what? I was still there in the snow, feeling helpless to change anything. So here’s another scripture I came to:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:18-21, NIV)

Then I realized where my freedom lies. It’s in the power to choose. I have the choice to move somewhere warm, but I choose to stay here because I believe I have been led back to Boone in order to finish my degree. I have the choice to stay upset about the snow, something I can’t control; but I choose to have a good attitude in the midst of a frustrating situation. I can choose to continue looking at what seems like the cause of my trouble, the snow; or I can choose to look to God and the blessings He has for me every day.

Now, as God was giving me all these “a-ha” moments, He also reminded me of how Paul and Silas acted when they were in prison:

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” (Acts 16:25-31, NIV)

Paul and Silas sat worshipping God in the midst of terrible conditions. And when they had the freedom to leave, they chose to stay. Their choices, their actions, their attitudes, glorified God and in the end brought the jailer and his family to Christ. As followers we have the same freedoms given to Paul and Silas. We are free to look at our circumstances in frustration or free to look to God in praise. And whether we realize it or not, those choices we make affect not only our lives but the lives of others. So tomorrow, when the local forecast is predicting one more storm, and I begin thinking about all the ways I have to rearrange my life in order to accommodate the weather, I will have a decision to make. Let’s hope I make the right one.