We Have Choices…Choose Well… Good morning Hump Day readers. As I write this devotion for tomorrow, we have gorgeous sunshine, a small breeze and we’ll have temps at about 75 degrees, a perfect day. One to choose a walk, bike ride, kayaking, etc. However, by late tonight and into tomorrow it will all change! Rain, cold, and some pretty high winds. Not a day to choose any water sports. And this takes me to my topic of ‘choosing well’ or ‘choosing wisely’ as they both go together.

A lot of people today are into genealogy. It can be captivating and destructive at the same time. Let’s face it, our family tree may not be the delight we think it is! For many there is hurt, deception, lies, abandonment, etc. The hard part of all this is that we can’t choose our parents—but we can choose mentors to help us choose well in life.

For me, King Josiah is a stand-out in making wise choices. In 2 Kings 22:2, we read: “He lived as his ancestor David had lived, and he did not stop doing what was right.”  Josiah was the son of King Amon and the grandson of King Manasseh—both very wicked kings of Judah. Yet Josiah was a godly king, and at 8 years old was known as one of the world’s youngest kings. What made him so different? He didn’t want to be like his brutal family so he looked back through his ‘family tree’ and there was King David, a man after God’s own heart. So he chose David’s example, and used it as his mentor and guide for the people he now was in charge of. Smart move for a young kid!

The outcome for Josiah’s people was a turning point in their lives. Josiah broke up their idols and tore down their ungodly altars. He was brave enough to say: “What my fathers taught—I don’t teach. What they embraced—I reject.” Josiah chose wisely in using David as his mentor and it became the guiding light that changed this young king and his nation!

The Apostle John reminds us in 3:6 that “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.” Like Josiah, ditch the family scrapbook, and open your Bible. It is there that spiritual life will fill your heart, mind and soul with the goodness and grace of God. Yes, you still have the genes from your family but God’s grace is greater.

As we approach the May/June celebrations of mothers and fathers, it can be difficult for many who didn’t have good role models from their parents or guardians. We see too much of parenting that has left God out of the picture for themselves and their offspring. Those celebrations can be hurtful reminders but, like Josiah, you don’t have to be stuck with them. You cannot control the way they lived or responded to God—but you can control the way you respond to God!

Another problem is that way too many people make their ‘family-tree-past’ their prison. They bemoan their heredity, yet continue to follow in their footsteps. Don’t do that—instead, be a ‘Josiah’ who decided he didn’t have to follow in his family’s footsteps!

Josiah properly responded to God’s Word. By the time he became king, the Scriptures had long been neglected, and Josiah’s heart was smitten by the failure of his people to honor God’s Word. So, he had Scripture read to the people daily and he made a commitment to live by it, urging his people to do the same. It changed lives! And God’s response to Josiah and the people was powerful: “You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord.” (2 Kings 22:19 NLT) Is this not the response we all would want to hear from God?!

Friends, God doesn’t leave us to figure it out on our own. Instead, God gives us a choice to take the right path. Today’s society wants you to take their latest ‘path’ – don’t listen to it. Let the grace of God guide you to a life of joy and purpose that will produce spiritual seeds to sow for future generations. Remember, you are not left alone on the sea of your heredity. You have a choice to make, so—choose well—choose wisely—so those seeds can grow and change generations of lives for the better! AMEN.