In one of my dreams a person had multiple choices before them and the words, “Caesar, Caesar” were being shouted out to them. Upon awakening, I came to the conclusion that the words were really “seize her” pointing out the answer to a choice.

When I was young I was told the story of a dog with two bones. In a nutshell it comes down to choices. The dog could not decide on which bone to choose, so it chooses none and does not eat. Too often in life we have a choice.

I did a little more research as I often do and I found this as well. The parable of the donkey, Buridan’s dilemma, concerns the philosophical concept of choice. A donkey standing at equal distance of two identical bales of hay cannot choose which one to feed from, and dies as a result.  The parable shows us that reason cannot always help us to choose.

The Aesop fable of the dog carrying a bone, but thinking he was being challenged by his reflection in the water while seeing the other “dog with a bone”, growls, dropping the bone and losing it. This parable of the dog with two bones concerns day to day wisdom: don’t be too greedy, and sometimes be content with what you already have.

Back to choice and choices. I personally have not always been good with choice. I am not talking about the “pre-Christian” walk of being drawn by the world which ultimately and only leads “down”. (Bad choices about friends, partying, etc.. At a young age I had a slew of broken relationships, a wall full of tickets and a lot of bad memories.) Wisdom is so much the better teacher, BUT you can always opt for experience!

I wanted anything and everything. My parents told me I “spent” a million dollars a day with my wants. When a million was actually a million. (Guess running for office might have been the right choice…not!) I worked and saved and bought and spent. One of my first debacles at the age of 11 was a display of paisley shirts. 4 colors, all awesome. I could not decide. I bought them all. Shortly after that I needed the 5 colors of special sunglasses. I could not “make a choice” because I was afraid it would be wrong. So “all” was often my choice. I would hold out until the last minute “in case” a better option appeared.

Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend. Like myself he has been looking for work. Like me, he hit the wall of discouragement a time or two. We talked regularly encouraging one another. Yesterday he hit the mother lode. A major short term job came his way, followed by the potential of multiple other jobs. I was so excited for him. He had CHOICES!

Choices is that place that offers out to you the opportunity to be creative. To be skillful and to employ wisdom. My friend now has choice. Lots of them. His end result will be dependent on multiple factors but he has them.

The difficulty when one is presented with “two bones” is how to make that choice. Make that choosing. What is your criteria before the opportunity arrives? Will it change? Too often people change their game plan and what began as a choice has the potential to be a burden. I fully understand that many choices are determined as we go, but core values and personal criteria ought never just “fly out the window”.

The book of Proverbs talks much about wisdom. Where does that come from? Some comes from God, other from experience and some from age in a situation. The showing up of God has the potential to be a major factor.

Over the weeks I have had some opportunities to move out of the area. Jobs that would take me places far away from family and friends. Choices.

When people ask me what does God offer, I simply say “EVERYTHING!” The world is your oyster. Everything is wide open to you in the Lord. Freedom and liberty, peace and joy.

So, how do I choose? Now that is the rub is it not? How does one choose? I am reminded of the part in Rick Joyner’s Final Quest where choice is offered up at the doors. “Will you help me?” “No you are on your own.” “How will I know?”

That is the question. How will I know? As I work to finalize my book There Is NO Stop To The Interrupted Process,  I look not at the “tapestry” of life but at the underneath with all the threads that have connected to form beauty. Choices connote more choice. The ability to choose and choose wisely are important. (I have way too many “Ishmaels and dead Egyptians” in my own life, the result of lesser choices.)

Let me simply say this. You can go anywhere…except where God wants you not.

Acts 16:6-8 The Holy Spirit forbids Paul to go towards the province of Asia Minor. Paul wanted Bithynia but that was a “no” as well and finally was set to go to Troas. (Guided by “hindrance”?) And then he sees Macedonia. (David Livingstone wanted to go to China, but God sent him to Africa. William Carey wanted to go to Polynesia, but God sent him to India. Adoniram Judson went to India, but God guided him to Burma.)

Now we see another reason why they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. We see another reason why the Spirit did not permit them to go into Bithynia. God wanted Paul and his team to go to Troas and pick up a doctor named Luke. Because God said “no” to Paul these two times, we have a gospel and a Book of Acts written by Doctor Luke. At the time, Paul probably had no idea of the greatness of God’s purpose. God wanted to give him a continent for Jesus, to give him a personal doctor, and to give all of us the man whom God would use to write more of the New Testament than anyone else did. God knows what He is doing when he says, “No.” (Paul ultimately went to Asia Minor.)

What were they crying out to seize in the dream? Wisdom. Direction.

When I first showed up at the beginning of this “season” at Village, I did so because I was forging relationship with my friend Mark. I lived in Vermont, an hour away. But I found God pulling on me. My home was destroyed (Not by God.) and after 4 years I had nothing left. What I had was a call of God. When I told my wife we were going to move, she was not “happy” and I had no “sign” from God. What I had was relationships. Fortunately 5 days before our move, God revealed to me His desire for me to be here!

You will have choices in life and you will have many choices. No one wants to get in a tunnel with one way out. God created us to be creative, to use wisdom and to have life abundantly.

Like the dog with two bones or the donkey with two bales of hay, you will have choices and you will choose rightly because Christ in you is the hope of glory. Not in a time or season to come but it the “right now’s” of life. Yes, you will have decisions to make and they will lead you to places and people. “The strings of your tapestry will connect you.” Will you make mistakes? Absolutely. (Yay!) But mistakes are often the predecessors to victory and success.How will you learn to ride a bike if you don’t get on? If you don’t fall?

God’s grace, His empowerment, is sufficient for you.