Making Choices

What would you do in Katy's situation? Should she quit piano and join the soccer team with her friends, or should she stick with what she'd already been working hard at and continue with her piano lessons? This wasn't just about one activity versus another -- it was about choosing between being popular with friends right now versus developing a skill that could last her whole life. After thinking about it for days, Katy came up with a smart idea. She sat down with a sheet of paper and drew a line straight down the middle. At the top on one side she wrote "Piano" and on the other side "Soccer." Then she spent time really thinking through everything. Under soccer, she wrote things like "hang out with friends every day," "get exercise," "maybe make the championship team," and "be part of the popular group." Under piano, she wrote "become really good at something special," "maybe play in concerts someday," "learn discipline and focus," and "have a skill I can use to help others and worship God." After she carefully considered all the good and challenging things about each choice, Katy made her decision. She chose to continue piano lessons. She realized she could still be friends with the soccer players at school and lunch, and piano was something that could bring joy to her and others for her entire life.

We all face important decisions like this in our lives, and some of them are way bigger than choosing between activities. The most important decision any of us will ever make is whether we will truly follow Jesus or not. You might be thinking, "Well, that's obvious -- of course I'll follow Jesus!" But here's something really important that Jesus taught: following him isn't always the easy choice, and we need to understand what we're really signing up for. Jesus actually told people they should "sit down and count the cost" before deciding to follow him. What did he mean by that?

Think about it this way: Will you choose to follow Jesus if it means your friends start making fun of you for going to church? Will you follow him if it means standing up for someone who's being bullied, even when it's not cool? Will you follow him if it means your family has to move to help people in another country, leaving behind your room, your school, and everything familiar? Will you follow him if it means you choose to help others instead of spending all your money on yourself? Will you follow him when following his teachings about kindness, honesty, and forgiveness is harder than just doing whatever you want?

Jesus said something that sounds really serious: "Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." What does it mean to carry a cross? When Jesus said this, everyone knew that carrying a cross meant you were willing to sacrifice everything, even your life. Jesus carried his cross to Calvary, where he died to save us from our sins so we could live forever with God. When Jesus asks us to carry our cross, he's asking if we're willing to put following him first, even when it costs us something important. It means choosing God's way even when it's difficult or unpopular.

But here's the amazing thing -- just like Katy discovered that choosing piano brought her more joy in the long run, choosing to follow Jesus brings us the greatest joy and purpose possible. When we follow Jesus, we get to be part of God's family forever, we get to help make the world better, and we discover who God created us to be. It's the best choice we could ever make, but it is still a choice we each have to make for ourselves.

Think about this week: What choices are you facing where you could choose God's way or the world's way? How can you carry your cross and follow Jesus in your school, with your friends, and in your family?

Dear Jesus, thank you for carrying your cross to Calvary and dying for our sins. Help us understand what it really means to follow you. Give us courage to make the choice to take up our cross and follow you, even when it's hard. Help us see that following you is always the best choice, even when it doesn't seem easy. Amen.