This week I will attend the funeral of a young person. This week I met with a young person planning for his future.

The tale of two places. One ahead. One dead. Through out life we encounter choice, chance and opportunity. What will we do? How will we choose?

Let it go! Apparently the name of a song, but more importantly the place of transition. The letting go of something to get somewhere.

We read of Lot’s wife not being able to turn away from where she lived. A place of debauchery and evil and yet here she was, turning back only to be “frozen” into a pillar of salt. We read of Abraham holding on to something and never being blessed until he physically left behind what the Lord had asked of him.

I used to hike, mountain climb and rock climb. Occasionally I would find myself in some interesting places. My safety factor would be, “you’re safe, you’re not moving and while you might starve up here on the frozen face of this cliff, well you won’t fall to your death”. (Starvation will leave a better looking corpse.) How many times did I find myself knowing to move ahead was victory and success, but knowing I was going to have to let something? Not always something I wanted to let go.

Too often we end up “dead” but because we missed a choice, a chance to let go. While the future may be “bright” it may be scary as well. And so way too often the choice to hold on to something creeps in. It begins to permeate your being with “I got it”. That I have arrived. Only to realize there is another mountain, another challenge. The choice is always to give up or to settle.

One of the greatest hindrances to growth is bitterness. Bitterness will keep you from becoming a whole person, of manifesting life or goodness. It is like the story of the person who drinks poison over a period of time. Slowly they begin to head towards death, accepting their fate while holding others in contempt or bondage. Not a good city! A terrible place to live. The answer? Forgiveness. Forgiveness is like the tree Moses threw in the waters at Marah, changing undrinkable, bitter waters to palatable, refreshing drink.

And sometimes someone needs to go get them! To show them a better way. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. Jude 1:23

Let me tell you one of the greatest places of danger I uncover in conversations is acceptance. Acceptance of actions even when those actions are dark, evil and destructive. I understand the “accept the things I can not change” (Other people!)but I am going to rain down prayer, mercy and powerful friendship to be the place of change.

Stop accepting circumstance, allowing yourself to become a victim, filled with darkness and bitterness and change your life. Lay down loftiness and pride and pursue the wisdom of the Father.

Two places. One life. The other death. How will we choose? What will we choose?

Clearly, I recommend choosing life. Life is not always a direction, but often it is the place where all other things can thrive. Some good, some not so good. It is our choice to remove from our lives the choices of darkness and death. Sometime needing help, but at the end of the day it will be in our hands. For many a year I have shared, “if you jump over the candle stick, you were the blister”. Ultimately choice, direction and peace belong to you.

My young friend discussing the future. He still can choose wrongly or make bad choices. Part of having a future is having a choice.

What you let go may require you to never pick it up again. It may be for life! Other things may have a season. A term. Again  a choice.

One day I was climbing and I needed to get closer to the bottom of the slippery ledge to move towards my left. As I moved slowly down the sloping rock, I began to slide. I seemed to be picking up speed. My toes were curled inside my boots trying for that extra grip. There was nothing to grab, nothing to hold. The rain had left the rock like ice and me in a dangerous place and getting worse. I slid toward the edge, dragging my fingers across the cold rock. Trying to get as much body contact down in an effort to create friction. My feet came to the edge and I could begin to see the tops of the tall trees before me. I was some 60 to 70 feet above the next ledgy outcropping. And I suddenly stopped. I took a deep breath. I did not want to move, but I could not stay here all night. I would freeze to death. I looked to the left, to the handhold I needed. It was 3-4 feet away. I sat. I thought. And then my foot slipped. In that moment I jumped grabbing the small handhold and began my way out.

Often times we think being “at the edge” is destruction, is death. We begin to accept our circumstance. (Why do they call it Survivor if they all live…?)Our choices seem nought. Being at the “edge” is our place of transition, of change. You may be at the edge of your choices or so you think. You may see only one way out but I would tell you as long as you breathe you have choice.

Today, you will make decisions for life and for death. You will accept a “doctor’s report” or you will look for the handhold of God and His report. You will accept death or you will choose life. Not every decision is life and death, but not choosing well or choosing to hold on to something will not allow for the freedom of His kingdom.

Letting go is often the way of choosing God.