PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

December 18, 2022

CHOICES

Early on in his novel Harlem Shuffle Colson Whitehead tells of an incident when his main character, Ray Carney, was a senior in high school.  Oliver Handy and his group were making Ray’s life miserable by making fun of him and giving him a hard time.  Finally, Carney had enough.  Remembering his father’s advice, he smacked Oliver’s face with an iron pipe.

In reflecting on this incident, Colson writes, “It was the last time he (Ray Carney) raised his hand.  The way he saw it, living taught you that you didn’t have to live the way you’d been taught to live.  You came from one place but more important was where you decided to go (Harlem Shuffle, p. 10).”

One of the most important decisions that Ray makes is to take over the lease of a furniture store. “Carney took the previous tenants’ busted schemes and failed dreams as a kind of fertilizer that helped his own ambitions prosper, the same way a fallen oak in its decomposition nourishes the acorn (Harlem Shuffle, p. 11)

Making choices plays an important part in the Biblical narrative.  The disciples decide to follow Jesus.  Moses choses to turn aside to look at a bush that is burning but is not consumed.  Joshua challenges the Hebrew people to choose whom they will follow.  Abram decides to respond to the Lord’s call to become the father of a great nation.  Saul responds to Jesus’ call on his way to Damascus.  David makes the decision to battle the giant Goliath. The judges respond to God’s call to lead their people during times of danger.

In the 19^th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew there is a story of a rich young man (Matthew 19:16-26) who Jesus asked to make a choice.  The young man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.  When Jesus asked him if he kept all the commandments, he answered in the affirmative but wanted to know what he lacked.  Jesus told him he needed to sell all his possessions and follow Him.  “When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions (Matthew 19:22)

Every day we are faced with choices.  Most of them are routine and in the scope of things, how we decide does not make much difference.  Many have to do with personal preferences, interests, and likings.  However, there are a few choices that can have great significance.  Several years ago my cardiologist told me that if I wanted to be healthy it was important that I lose weight.  When I asked him how he recommended I do it, he said to cut back significantly on carbs.  I was faced with a choice: change my eating habits or have poor health.  There seemed to be no middle ground.

The American poet Robert Frost wrote a poem, The Road Less Taken, which I still remember to this day.  The closing stanza goes:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

                Somewhere ages and ages hence:

                Two roads diverged in a wood, and

                I took the one less traveled by,

                And that has made all the difference

There are some decisions we make about the choices we are given that will make all the difference in ages and ages hence.  Leasing the furniture was one for Ray Carney.  Following Jesus was one for His disciples.  Changing my eating habits was one for me.