Our Choices Matter
“After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord. Because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam. . . . Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the leaders of Judah who had assembled in Jerusalem for fear of Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You have abandoned me; therefore, I now abandon you to Shishak.’” The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.” When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak. They will, however, become subject to him, so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.”
II Chronicles 12:1-2,5-8
Have you ever had the experience of having a child that was in need of discipline and as a result that kiddo became upset with you? Imagine this on the scale of the universe. We are all God’s children and we have all gotten out of line from time to time. Just as the Israelites did during King Rehoboam’s reign, we can be a rambunctious people. We can have rambunctious kiddos.
Have you been a forgiving parent? The above story shows the loving grace of our God. God forgave Rehoboam and the Israelites for their disobedience and rebellion. God noticed their humility and saved them from complete destruction.
However, God also used this same opportunity to teach Rehoboam and his people about getting off track, being selfish, and not acknowledging God as Sovereign (basically unfaithfulness). We all need discipline. Life’s choices come with consequences. We have the freedom to choose, but we often do not like the outcomes.
Owning the choice is important. In Rehoboam’s case he finally admitted that God is just. God heard his appeal and God made a way out for Rehoboam. The out was not a complete get out of jail free card, but it was one of deliverance. God has a way of doing things, its intentional with meaning and purpose. Rehoboam may not of liked the entire package God was pitching, but it for sure beat the alternative of complete destruction.
We have to own what we do, and what we say. Seeking forgiveness will bring us grace, but maybe not completely void of consequences. We want our children to learn from their mistakes so they do not keep committing the same ones over and over. If we just rescue them every time they find themselves in a tough spot we are not allowing the process to play out and for discipline to take action. God has never enabled anyone to be repeat offenders. His grace is sufficient and can be healing. But as Paul said in Corinthians, sometimes we just have to rejoice in our hardships, difficulties, and tough times, because its in those moments that God is at is strongest and can bring us out of anything. No matter if we have little or much, as Paul learned and taught his followers and us, that we should be content. God knows what we need when we need it and He does not need us going around demanding things of Him. God will always show up – He is never early, but He is never late either.
Ultimately, it comes down to faithfulness. If God has said it and laid out a plan, we best be about following it. We are subject to consequences just as Rehoboam was and we can learn from his mistakes and hopefully provide good examples for others in our lives to avoid the turmoil.
Consequences result from our choices, choose wisely – you may only get one choice. Struggling with life choices? Reach out to receive some counseling. It may be one of the best choices you have ever made. One your children will be proud of and a path they might be more willing to seek in the future for themselves. Do you care enough to not abandon what you know is true and right? God is on your side and if He is for you, no one can really ever be against you – it may feel like it, but God ultimately will win. Choose the winning side.
Kyle Thompson, Ed.D. LPC
Executive Director
