Choose Your Own Adventure

It’s time for Scripture Sunday! I had a hard time choosing between the 3 amazing texts that we had today-

Old Testament- Jeremiah 15:15-21

Epistle- Romans 12:9-21

Gospel- Matthew 16:21-28

I am going to reflect on the Gospel today, but, I might do the same for the Epistle this week sometime because it’s so meaningful.

I know I’ve written about cross-bearing here, but I want to look at this text from a different angle.

It kind of reminds me of those books I loved in late elementary school.

“Choose-Your-Own-Adventure”

In these books, the reader got to be the protagonist and we got to pick which direction we wanted to take.  For instance, it went something like this:

You are walking and you come across a cave.

If you choose to go in, go to page 17
If you choose to go on, go to page 22.
If you choose to turn around, go to page 13.

Then, you’d choose which page you want to go to, and follow the story from there. Each book had about 24 different directions the story could take.

I think in today’s Gospel lesson, Peter tries to intervene into the life of Jesus and try to tell Him to choose His own adventure.

Jesus didn't listen to the temptation. He understood what He had to do and how He had to do it.

Sometimes in life, I think it's easy to think, "That's not part of my script! This is not part of my adventure! Where is my right to choose!"

Especially since becoming ill- and having all of the struggles and hardships in the last year. I think many times I was saying, "I am not going to choose this adventure, God, I want to go back a few pages and take a different route! I want a different story! This isn't fair, I didn't ask for this."

And sometimes, I acted like I was writing the book- like I was choosing my own adventure. 

But God intervened. God said, 

"I've got a script for you. Let me rewrite the script of your life. Let me choose your adventure. Follow me."

And He's called me and I plan to follow to the very end. I know He says "If anyone must follow me..." - and I know that means it's going to mean denying myself and denying what I think is my right to choose my own adventure.

I know that letting God write my story involves me to determine when I stop colliding with God. When I stop trying to turn the page backward and say, "Wait! I didn't want this!" - I need to get rid of the part that gets in the way of His way. And that means ridding myself of pride, anxiety, anger, and selfishness. 

And there are times, I will say, where I can choose my own adventure. The times where I have the opportunity to take up my cross, and make decisions like I am a Christian. Make decisions that I know are according to the will of God. 

But there's good news with that. When we bear our crosses, Jesus is right there with us. He makes it light for us. He says, "You are mine, I'm not leaving you alone, I'll bear that cross with you."

And when we mess up, it's okay. He says, "I've made some great revisions and I've got a different adventure in mind than what you had planned."

It is my desire that His will becomes my will. Since His victory on Easter becomes my victory. 

Blessings:

-I had breakfast today with one of my good friends, and he told this joke that some of you might find mildly junior high, but I thought it was hilarious, and I was laughing so loud, everyone was staring at us. This is what he said:

"Oh, that reminds me, have you heard of the movie Constipation?"

"No, I don't think I have."

"That's because it hasn't come out yet."

(Apologies if anyone was offended by that joke!)

-An amazing worship experience, complete with an amazing arrangement of "This is The Feast", communion, and fellowship with people afterwards, including getting to see both of my professor's new babies!

-My coworker and I shared our Sunday afternoon shift last year. We are sharing it again this year, and it was so good to talk to her again, and we are going to have dinner sometime this week or next.

-Jennifer from the cafeteria noticed something and she said this to me (regarding those who are still acting like I don't exist): "You know, if it wasn't you they were doing it to, they'd probably be doing it to someone else. And if it were someone else, that person might not be as strong as you." Good point. I guess, if I can spare someone else this pain, then it is a blessing... (I gritted my teeth as I said that- I still have a struggle accepting this as a blessing.)

-I am doing an author study with my kids in the coming weeks, and I found some books by her that I can use- they are old, but I had no idea she wrote them! This makes things so much more interesting for our author study!

Please say a prayer for me tonight! My first day teaching is tomorrow! I am not all that nervous, but it is kind of stressful thinking about all of the work that will need to be done in the next 8 weeks. 

If you want to follow some of my teaching stories, things learned, lessons taught, etc. you can find me over at Wordpress. Don't worry- I will still post here daily!)