Choices Are A Responsibility

There is this big push in parenting and education about giving children choices.  Johnny does not want to get dressed in the morning because what little boy does not enjoy being naked? "Johnny, do you want to wear the blue shirt or the red shirt?"  "Susie, you can do your schoolwork now or during recess.  You get to choose."  I know, it is always Johnny and Susie.  Those poor kids.

I am not saying that giving choices is a bad thing.  I have just been reflecting on the book of Genesis and what we now refer to as "the fall".  God gave Adam and Eve a pretty easy choice and they messed it up.  "You can eat of this tree that is really bad for you or you can eat of all these other trees."   In fact, they had the choice to eat from the tree of life.  That was not off limts.  God said you can live forever or you can know stuff.  We all know what happened.  They chose the fruit from the one tree.  They chose to know stuff.  

We think, how did Adam and Eve mess that up.  That seems like a no brainer.  However, we are just like Adam and Eve.  We are like Johnny and Susie.  We want to do what we want to do.  We throw fits and tranturms to get our way.  God let's us choose.  He gives us choices.  He does not force us into relationtionship.  He does not make us do the right thing.  We can do whatever we want.   

The ironic thing is we make the choices and then we get mad at God for the consequences of those choices.  Susie gets mad because she does not get to play at recess.  She blames the teacher.   Adam and Eve tried to blame each other, the serpant, and God. We do the same thing with God.  We say stuff like, "God, why did you let that happen?  Why did you not stop it?"   

We all like choices.  However, choices come with responsibility. Every choice has a consequence.  If we choose to do something we choose to not to do something else with that time.  If I choose to put healthy food in my body I get to experience higher levels of energy.  If I eat junk food, I get to deal with the enjoyment followed by the negative responses of my body.  We don't get to make the choice and then blame others for the results.   

Your choices are your responsibility.