What does it take to capture the imagination of a child, and pair that with the experience and opportunistic perspective of adulthood? One must understand that choice is not determined by a set of options that society lays at one’s feet as they go through life. We don’t use our power to choose as if ordering from a menu at a restaurant. Those choices are provided for us. The power to choose is deciding what restaurant we want to eat at, not what menu item we will select. Is it possible to imagine a compelling future, and do what it takes to see that future come into existence? Surprisingly, when I ask that question of my students, the employees I train, or church members I coach, their answer is often something like “I would really like to be that way one day, but in reality, I just don’t believe it can happen for me.” This is why it is so difficult for many people to quit bad habits or overcome an addiction. As Christians, we should know better than to fall into this type of thinking. The Bible says in Hebrews:
1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
Hebrews 11:1-2 NIV
As believers, we have something that transcends the optimism of humanity: We have faith. We have the power of the living God working out all things for the good of those who love him. There are many examples of people in everyday life that have decided to exercise their power to choose and believe their efforts toward their goals will result in the compelling future they set out to create. If this can be true for the average person on the planet, then more so for the believer in Christ who has the God of the universe working behind the scenes and ahead of them in their lives.