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So, what paint color should I choose for the family room? Should I decide now or later? What traffic route will get me there sooner? What lunch items do I choose for my kiddos? What recipe for dinner tonight? Do I have time to run to the post office before getting in the school dismissal line? When should I make that dental appointment? At what restaurant do you want to eat? What movie do we want to watch tonight?

H-E-L-P!!! someone make choices for me. I am tired of deciding and making choices. Well guess what Mama? You will be making choices the rest of your life.

Decide to make right choices. I really like the way many parents are discipling their children at a very young age. Yes, there are degrees and ways of correct discipline, making sure the discipline matches the degree of wrong doing. Informing children of the plan ahead of time, is so important.

Allow children to make choices, right or wrong. Before your outing, or event, give the children choice selections ahead of time. If they do this behavior, then this is the result of their choice. If their behavior is a wrong choice, then this is the result of that choice.

For example:  you are taking the children to a store. You tell them what you expect from them in having good manners, obeying immediately, and listening to instructions from mom, or dad. If they do what is right, then their result will be…. maybe  candy, or a movie to watch at home. (depends on the age of the child/ren.

If they choose instead, to not listen, not obey, not implementing good manners, running through the store, picking up and dropping items etc. then the results of that behavior may be: no candy, no movie.

Give all of the info before they go into the store. They choose. They know.

I remember, years ago, when one of my adorable grandchildren went shopping with mommy and Mamaw. The child was given some basic behavior rules while in the mall. Well, this child, started acting up and not obeying. So the mom told the child that there will be disciple action when they get to Mamaw’s. The child was only two years old. The ride on the way home was a 20 minute commute. I glanced back in the backseat to look and my sweet grandchild was pretending to sleep in the car seat. When we drove in the driveway, the little fluttering eye lids tried to stay shut. I told my daughter that maybe she was sleeping and has probably forgotten why she was going to be disciplined. The look my daughter gave me indicated that she did not agree with me and said, “She remembers”.  Well even though  that shopping trip was a few years ago, I am always hoping and praying that my sweet, wonderful, loving, innocent acting, grandchildren will always make right choices. I know that isn’t always the case.

Now, as our children have married, have children of their own, and some of our older grandchildren are making adult decisions, we pray that even now, they will  make right choices. We have one life. This life is to love, enjoy, have fun, and  treat others the way we would want to be treated. My husband and I pray daily for our entire family.

In raising children to love God, serve Him, love and care for others, we must instill within our children what is right according to our God and family. Even, we as adults, are always needing to make right choices: with finances, with church, with reading God’s Word. We will make choices until the day we die.

What choices are you making? Diet, foods, drinks, drugs, church, kindness, caring, work, hobbies, and Bible reading? What is your choice about Christ and heaven? It’s not too late to make Him your right choice.

           That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt  believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 10:9,13

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; ….but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15a & b