I Can Choose

Thursday, July 27, 2023

So God created man in his own image, . . . male and female he created them. Gen. 1:27, NIV.

Created in the image of God, we are uniquely gifted with the ability to think, to reason, to create, and to choose. What a risk God took, and what a responsibility is ours by our life choices to reflect the image of the loving God who created us. Revelation and research both agree that the positive exercise of the power of choice contributes to health and prolongs life.

I can choose . . .
  • To eat healthfully of the nutritious bounty of God's garden.
  • To exercise—walk, run, bike, swim, move with freedom and joy.
  • To rest, relax, enjoy a siesta, take a holiday, vacation with friends.
  • To sleep, refreshing the body, recharging the nerves, restoring the spirit.
I can choose . . . 
  • To laugh freely and often, with others and at myself.
  • To hope in the face of fear and failure, disappointment and despair.
  • To learn about my world and the people who inhabit it, about myself.
  • To grow, as did Jesus, in strength and wisdom and favor with God and human beings.
  • To think, to ask questions and search for answers.
  • To work with my hands and with my mind, with energy and purpose.
  • To play, just for the fun of it!
I can choose . . .
  • To nurture relationships, talking and touching, giving and taking.
  • To participate in life, speaking up, taking a stand, being counted.
  • To volunteer in the hospital, the school, or the homeless shelter.
  • To be a neighbor to a single mom or an aging couple with Alzheimer's.
  • To keep my promises and honor my commitments.
  • To affirm the good, the noble, the giftedness of others.
I can choose . . .
  • To believe in a divine purpose for my life.
  • To worship the God who made me for joyful relationship with Him.
  • To pray, living in communion with my Creator-Friend.
  • To forgive those who hurt me, releasing my bitterness.
  • To forget . . . yes, it is possible!
  • To act with integrity, honesty, and purity.
  • To love . . . for God is love.
What will you choose today?

Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.


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