A New Year's Choice

What if God walked into my house on New Year’s Eve and gave me two options for 2010?

I heard something like this in a Francis Chan sermon, and it really made me think. Option A is that I have a fun, easy year in which everything goes my way, everything I attempt succeeds, every prayer I pray is answered just the way I want. Option B is a year full of struggle in which nothing goes my way, but at the end of it, I have much deeper knowledge of God and fellowship with Him. Which would I take?

I love easy. Easy sounds so nice (and rare). And who doesn’t love to get their way? This is not a simple decision for me. But still, I would choose B. Do I really just want my life to be easy? Or do I want it to have great purpose, the kind of purpose I can only find by following God all out?

One of my mom friends talks about confidence-building years and character-building years at school. Sometimes kids get the teacher they want, the friends they want, the desk they want, and everything comes easy. That’s a confidence year. Other years are a struggle—relationships are hard, assignments are hard—but it’s those years that build their character.

You know what, God? For 2010, I’m gonna muster up all my courage and choose character. Because here’s the deal. I’m also going to get confidence out of it—only my confidence won’t be misplaced. It will be rooted in someone much greater than myself, the one I trust most with my life.