Choices

I arrived in D.C. yesterday afternoon and settled into my apartment. Today was an intro to the conference throughout the a.m. followed by a bus tour of D.C. through the rest of the day. We visited many of the monuments including the Vietnam wall, the WWII memorial, Iwa Jima memorial, Jefferson and FDR memorials, and my all time favorite, the Lincoln memorial.
The history represented here and the lives depicted in art form is breath taking. Standing in front of the Lincoln statue brought tears to my eyes. I have always admired President Lincoln. His fight to free slaves and keep our country united was not a popular fight, but he chose to engage the fight anyway, ultimately losing his life because of the choices he made. He stood for what was right and for what was good even when it became very messy and things looked hopeless. Freedom was gained because of his willingness to do what was right. I wonder if Lincoln ever in his wildest dreams imagined that the fight he choe to enter into would one day allow an African-American man to become president of this country?
Sometimes the choices I am making are not the popular choices, but I step into them anyway, trusting that the Truth that I am choosing to live in and act out of will bring the ultimate good to the circumstance or relationship. Like Lincoln's choices, sometimes things get pretty messy. Ultimately, through God's mercy and sovereignty, Truth reigns. Patience and perseverance bring the peace and health needed, and God honors my willingness to be obedient to His call by bringing health and redemption beyond my wildest dreams.
Sometimes engaging in the fight is an easy choice, sometimes it is a painful act of faith. I will continue to pray for God's strength to make the hard choices when He asks. I have found that it is pure joy when I am living in step with His plan and purposes for my life. His ways are not my ways, and thankfully I am learning that His ways always bring the best for me!
~ Angie