In Shakespeare's tragic drama Hamlet, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, discovers that his father's death might not have been due to natural causes, but that his own mother and uncle may have killed the king so that they could be married.  While being tormented by such possibilities, Hamlet's father's ghost appears to him, and confirms his suspicions. The bloody spectre then implores Hamlet to avenge his death by killing his assassin.  In Hamlet's famous "To Be or Not to Be" soliloquy, the tortured young man questions the morality of murdering his stepfather, his own sanity, and whether it might not be better to just end it all rather than deal with the whole situation.

To be or not to be.  When we are born, we are pretty much the same.  I mean, we all come into the world as babies, wearing only our mother's umbilical cord.  It's as we grow and become a part of our family and the world around us that we discover we have the ability to make choices.  In fact,  we soon learn that there isn't a day that doesn't go by that we aren't asked to make some type of choice in some area of our lives.  Do we listen to our parents or not?  Are we going to wear this to school, or that?  What do we want for supper?  Are we going to watch a program on TV or are we going to go for a walk?  Should we go to college or accept that job offer?  Where will I go on vacation?......Do I want "to be" or "not to be"?  And it's those decisions that make us different and unique from everyone else around us.

Hopefully your choices are not as tramatic as the ones faced by our Shakespearean character,  but even what may seem like a simple decision today can end up determining the direction our life is going to take.  Our choices can lead us down a path of fulfillment and satisfaction.  Or they can lead us into failure and destruction.

Some choices seem so obvious, but others seem to have no clear-cut answer.  In fact, we find ourselves wanting someone else to make those tough decisions for us.

Well, have I got good news for you!  There is Someone we can go to for help in making life's choices!

We were not created like robots - who have no minds and can do only what their inventor has programmed them to do.  We were created in God's image and He created us in love.  That love gives us not only the capacity, but the freedom, to make our own decisions.  And because He created us in love and freedom, He didn't leave us in confusion and fear, wondering which choices would be the best ones (like "Hamlet").  He gave us His Word to show us the way.

If you are not familiar with the book of Deuteronomy, I would encourage you to read at least the 28th chapter.  In it, God lists the blessings versus the curses.  Now some might think this is pretty "dry" reading, but to me it is always exciting!  God gives me my options - my "to be's or not to be's," if you will.  And then, in Deuteronomy 30:19 He gives me the answer!  "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.  So choose life!  In order that you may live, you and your descendants."  He desires to help us make the right choices!!!

Maybe you're facing some tough choices right now and aren't sure what to do.  Maybe you're doubting some decision you've made in the past.  Or maybe you have made wrong choices and are now reaping the consequences of those decisions.  You might even be the "victim" of someone else's unwise choices.  You can't change the past, but you can change your future.  God can take those mistakes and turn "what was meant for evil" into something He can use for your good.

If you haven't made the choice, why don't you decide to choose Life today.  It's the most important decision you'll ever make and it's never too late.  Allow Christ to help you make the right choices so that you can walk in His blessings and enjoy all that He has planned for you.

Ask Him "to be" in your life!