Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Deu 30:15-20
Lk 9:22-25
“Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying His voice, clinging to him…”
I am probably dating myself here, but I used to love the British pop group from the 1980s, ‘Wham!’. Yes, that fabulous duo, made up of the late, great George Michael and the effervescent Andrew Ridgeley. During the halcyon days of MTV, they were a ubiquitous fixture. Everyone from my vintage would have, at some point, sung along to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, and proudly worn that iconic Katharine Hamnett t-shirt, with ‘Choose Life’ emblazoned on the front.
The ‘Choose Life’ t-shirt, was originally designed as a response to issues of drug abuse and suicides in the UK during the 1980s. That t-shirt though, took on a life of its own, and became so much larger than one single movement. ‘Choose Life’ has been associated with gay rights, pro-life rights, anti-war protests, climate change protests, AIDS awareness, women’s rights protests, etc. The youth of every generation find its revolution. I remember the intoxicating feeling of being a part of what I thought was a ‘global movement’, something bigger than myself – anti-war, anti-drugs, pro-gay rights. My ideals defined me. I was loud and proud.
And then, a life event happens. A parent falls sick prematurely, and you realize that your ideals have no power to save you. No power at all.
Like money and fame, our ideals can take us over, cloud our judgment and even set us against God. In this age of social media’s unrelenting onslaught, we are pressured to define ourselves in ever narrowing terms — are you Liberal or Conservative? Feminist or Trad Wife? Pro Life or Pro Abortion? The answers to those questions determine which ‘tribe’ we belong to, whether we like it or not. We stand on increasingly narrow silos, self-censoring for fear of being ostracized, denying ourselves, denying God. We are loud, yet, confused. Most of all, we are lost.
So it is quite profound then, that buried deep within the Book of Deuteronomy, an ancient text, we find a reading where Moses says to the people, “Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying His voice, clinging to him”. And though this is no clever Instagram post, Scripture’s message is clear. Choose God, choose His ways, choose Life. Everything else is an illusion to lead you astray, with no power to save you. Choose God, choose life. Who knew that an old t-shirt had so much wisdom in it?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
Prayer: We pray for the wisdom and discernment to choose God every single time.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the Holy Spirit, who informs our conscience and helps us to make good decisions.
OXYGEN 
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