We Have a Choice

"Well, are we in or are we out?"

My husband held my gaze across our kitchen table, the lines in our worn-down table representing the line the Lord was drawing in the sand of our lives. For months, we had sensed Jesus beckoning us to a narrower road of radical discipleship. We had long been passionate about our Faith. But we noticed that life, passivity, and overwhelm were leading us down a road of mediocrity. And mediocrity primes us for "the service of other gods" (Joshua 24:16).

Now we had a choice. We knew it. The Lord was clear. Our hearts and discernment were in unison. We knew that we could either continue down the road we were on (not a bad one, mind you, just fine) or we could follow Jesus with greater abandon and trust. This would necessitate the sacrifice of many idols: finances, worldly security and reputation, fertility, our prideful opinions, self-reliance, and the illusion of control. It would mean that we made different decisions in our lives in order to follow Him more closely.

My husband was completely in. But he always lives out the call of today's Second Reading, patiently loving me "even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her" (Ephesians 5:25).

I glanced up at the hand-lettered sign that hangs next to the kitchen table: "As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). No longer was this a cute saying on a piece of home decor. This was the invitation. And this became the battle cry of my heart.

This is a lifelong decision, and we must die to ourselves every single day. Where is the line in the sand in your life? How is the Lord calling you to a more radical discipleship? Each morning meets us with the call: "Decide today whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15). With the grace of Jesus, may our every response be, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (Matthew 6:68). To whom shall you go, sister? Ponder this today.

We must die to ourselves every single day. // Olivia SpearsClick to tweet

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