THE CHOICE WE HAVE .by Anthony k. Kimani
“Life is what you make it.” We hear this a lot. Well, I heard it a lot growing up from people I looked up to, some of whom were very successful in the paths they chose. But it’s time to challenge that notion and quite frankly, it’s about time.
Growing up, I had a lot of fun. I was born into a family of four, and I was the youngest. Yes, the last born. I know some of you have certain ideas about last-born children and some of it is true. I’m no angel. But for a moment, let’s assume we are all last-born. Dive into my little fantasy world: getting everything I wanted, being liked a bit more, loved a bit more, treated a little better than my siblings. That’s the mindset of last-born a way to correct some myths and show that not all of us deserve random beatings.
When I was young, I once heard my pastor say that we are made in the image and likeness of God. At first, that made me happy I thought I was part deity. But then I realized that resemblance does not equal identity. For example, if I have a Gucci bag and a good knockoff, they may be made of similar materials, but the craftsmanship and details are very different. Likewise, we may reflect God’s image, but we are not perfect like Him.
The point is: we are broken, fragile, and still growing. We lack His love, His kindness, His calmness, and His joy. To me, Jesus is the kind of person who smiled and waved at His enemies, knowing what they were thinking, what they would do, when they would do it, and how but He still chose to smile and be joyful. I don’t see Him as a depressed introvert sitting at home judging the world. I say this because that used to be me before I was saved.
He chose to love, even through His pain, if it meant saving a broken, selfish, hateful civilization. Yes, we are not perfect. We are incomplete. But through Him, we can be more. Through Him, you could love your in-laws, your neighbor with a noisy dog, your professor who literally hates you, or even those so-called friends who want to see you fail or even yourself, the person you struggle to get along with.
I’ll be honest I’m not the best example. I’m 21, jobless, recently struggled with a porn addiction, a weed addiction, a gambling addiction, and more. Basically, I’m a dirtbag. But somehow, I’m writing a book. My life sucked, yet God did not give up on me. If someone as broken as me can get a chance, I bet you can too.
Psalm 51:1–17 basically says we’re all broken, all unclean, all flawed but that’s the way God wants us. He wants to see us grow and become more, no matter what we’ve done, who we were, or where we are. All that matters is that we surrender and believe in Him, and let Him work in us.
Giving up control is hard, especially if all you had left was a little power. But giving in to God is the best decision you will ever make. From our ashes, He makes us rise bigger, better, and happier than before. Trust me that is the choice we have.
God loves you.