This is Why God gave us Free-Will

Okay, maybe that title is a little ambitious.  However, I do think I now know, if not just in part, why God gave us Free-will.  Of course it’s so that when we choose him it is because we wanted to and not because we have to.  But how often do we really do this?  I mean do we really think that choosing Him was something we did at conversion?  We say “I accepted Jesus and I believe in Him,  there I chose Him.”  Thats kind of like saying “A guy from publishers clearing house showed up to my front door and had a $10,000 check in my name…and I chose to accept it.”  OF COURSE YOU ACCEPTED IT.  No, we choose him day in and day out by the way we choose to include him in our day; our choices, our conversations, prayer times, play times, work times…etc.  Except its not that simple is it?  Often we come to Him because of OBLIGATION.  We feel like we Have to include Him, much like we included our younger siblings when we went to hang out with our friends- as a tag along.  Just think about it.  How many times do you pray or read your bible or do some good work because you HAVE to, or you Ought to. Go ahead…think about it. I will be here when your done.

Here is what I can tell you about why God gave us free will…This what happened to me the other day with my older son who is now two and-a-half years old.  It blew me away, and I didn’t fully understand it until I was thinking about it later.

I walked into our living room one day and Jayden was there playing on the floor.  He looked up at me and ran to a chair in the corner of our living room.  He climbs up into it and scoots his little body as close to one side as he possibly can.  Then he looks up at me and pats the seat next to him and says ‘come sit next to me Daddy.’  So, I sit down next to him in this chair that just barely has enough room for the both of us so that we are squished together.  I put my arm around him and he picks up a book and hands it to me and says…’read this daddy’.  So, I take the book in the other hand and begin reading it.  As we are reading it he placed his hand on my hand and just rested it there on top of it.  Lately he has been inviting me into a lot of his activities.  Playing cars, or watching a movie, or reading books, or wrestling on the bed.  And each time it is as if he is CHOOSING ME.  He could do all of these activities all by himself and sometimes does.  But to have him invite me into his little world, now that is a feeling I could only describe as delight, joy even.  I will always be Jayden’s dad whether he chooses me or not.  I will always make sure he is safe or has what he needs.  But when he invites me into his life because he wants to just be with me…there is no greater gift. I mean am I really into playing cars that much?  No,  but it was never really about the cars was it.  I know God is the same way.

There are so many reasons to choose God.  SO MANY.  But when I realized that He also receives joy when I do it, well it has changed how I pray, how I read, how I live.  Now I find myself inviting him into a lot of my life, simply because I love Him…I really love Him.  May you choose Him today, invite Him into your life even to participate, and enjoy His presence.  I know He would really delight in that.

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