{"id":2731,"date":"2012-06-15T05:39:33","date_gmt":"2012-06-15T09:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=2731"},"modified":"2012-06-17T18:03:12","modified_gmt":"2012-06-17T22:03:12","slug":"choosing-to-bless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/06\/choosing-to-bless.html","title":{"rendered":"Choosing to bless"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"World<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Site of the World Trade Center March 2007<\/em><\/p>\n

Over the past two months, I\u2019ve been thinking.\u00a0 What wonderful things could have happened if Jacob had given his twin brother, Esau, the bowl of soup he requested, rather than selling it to him?<\/p>\n

What would have happened had Jacob decided against tricking his father? What if he had\u00a0decided against pretending to be his brother Esau?<\/p>\n

What would have happened if Joseph\u2019s brother had chosen to ignore their younger brother\u2019s silly antics and their father\u2019s favoritism toward the boy.\u00a0 Understanding instead to bless their old father and the young son of his old age.\u00a0 What would have happened?<\/p>\n

I know.\u00a0I\u2019ve had the same thoughts.\u00a0\u00a0God in his foreknowledge\u00a0used their sin and selfishness\u00a0to bring about his glorious deliverance of the entire nation of Israel.<\/p>\n

But what would have happened had these men and women\u00a0chose to\u00a0do the best thing, the holy thing?\u00a0 If God can work such glory out of hideous mistakes, what can he do with obedience and submission to his will and ways?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>In chosing\u00a0our\u00a0own rocky path as Jacob and Rebekah and Issac and the\u00a0Joseph\u2019s brother did, we have seen the fulfillment of Romans, \u201cAll things\u00a0work for the good of those\u00a0who love the\u00a0Lord and are called according to his purpose.\u201d\u00a0 But the lingering question\u00a0has stirred my heart.\u00a0 What if I choose God\u2019s way, instead?\u00a0 What would be the glory the world could encounter?\u00a0 Dwight L. Moody said,\u00a0 \u201cThe world has not seen the impact one man\u00a0sold out to God can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the mentally challenged community we often encounter parents of children who are born with disabilities. \u00a0 Is it any wonder that these men and women may be plagued with the\u00a0what if<\/em>questions of life?\u00a0 My question today is \u201cWhat if our choices become Godly, holy paths in life?\u00a0 Salvation means that we can choose\u00a0God\u2019s path, God’s way.\u00a0 What if we\u00a0DID<\/strong>\u00a0choose God’s way?\u00a0 What would happen then?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Site of the World Trade Center March 2007 Over the past two months, I\u2019ve been thinking.\u00a0 What wonderful things could have happened if Jacob had given his twin brother, Esau, the bowl of soup he requested, rather than selling it to him? What would have happened had Jacob decided against tricking his father? What if…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5,3,182,40,186,49,16,147,8,263],"tags":[690,21,688,7,699,715,701,724,6,700],"class_list":["post-2731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-christianity","category-developmental-disabilities","category-disability","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-leadership","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-redemption","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-redemption","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nChoosing to bless - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/06\/choosing-to-bless.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Choosing to bless - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Site of the World Trade Center March 2007 Over the past two months, I\u2019ve been thinking.\u00a0 What wonderful things could have happened if Jacob had given his twin brother, Esau, the bowl of soup he requested, rather than selling it to him? What would have happened had Jacob decided against tricking his father? What if…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/06\/choosing-to-bless.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-06-15T09:39:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-06-17T22:03:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/specialgathering.files.wordpress.com\/2008\/06\/world-trade-center.jpg?w=300&h=240\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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