God gives us the right to choose

There is nothing I want more than for everyone to be saved. I lie awake wondering how God will save us, and I always come back to the same answer again and again. God will save us through his love, which he revealed to us in his son Jesus Christ.

Too often people judge God through the actions or words of the religious, but religions have a tendency to create their own version of God. Fortunately, the authentic God is better than anything we could ever come up with. I am confident that if you really want to know who God is, just look to the Son and you will see the Father.

When Jesus came down from heaven He had all the power of God in Him. He could have easily forced the world to live as He believed we should live. He could have laid down the law and stripped away everyone’s freedom to sin. He chose instead to set us free!

Both Christianity and our nation were built on the premise that all people are created equal and all are born with the God given right to liberty and justice; why then, are so many unwilling to uphold these truths, and so quick to stand by injustice and oppression? How can anyone in all good conscience force their beliefs onto others, and burden them with restrictions that in all honesty no one would ever abide by if it were their own freedoms in question. Jesus himself refused to do such a thing, so who are we to do that which our God would not?

I thank God He gave me the freedom to live my life. I admire His courage to let me take the wrong turns; to stand by as I crash and burn. I fall to my knees as I look back, and remember my God picking me up and holding me in His arms. His unwavering commitment to me astounds me to this very day!

So what is my point? In a round about way I’m trying to say that if God gives someone like me the freedom to live her life, then does He not do the same for everyone? If I am free to live as I want, then it must be true that you are too, no matter who you are.

I am convinced the Holy Spirit sent by Christ will convict the world of the forgiveness of its sins. He came to me when I was at my worst, and He did not condemn me, but He took me in His arms, and saved me with His love. Because of my own conviction I can understand I am no different from the world, and since I now have eyes to see, I have the humility to look up to all people with hope.

So, what am I trying to say? Jesus said it best when He said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus held His arms open even as He was nailed to a cross. His arms remain open to everyone at any given time in our lives, no matter our color, religion, class or sexual orientation.

If we can but understand, an individual holds the right to choose his own path, but cannot withhold that right from others. A church may uphold its beliefs within the boundaries of its own membership, but cannot go outside its walls to deny anyone her rights or to undermine the laws of its government. A government has a duty to protect the freedoms of its people, and the people have the obligation to put into place a government that will fulfill its duty.

Angel H. Clark-Hall

Coulee Dam