Now that we have officially ushered in the fall season, it is quite apropos to talk seed time and harvest. This agricultural principle of reaping and sowing is used throughout the bible to teach us many things. One concept in particular stands above the fray this week—choices.

Choices! Choices! Choices! We make thousands of choices each and every day. For ourselves, our kids, our jobs, what to cook, who we spend time with, how we spend our money. It’s quite exhausting if you add them all up. Even so, the fact that we have the ability to choose for ourselves is an outright privilege. But it is also a huge responsibility.

What seeds are you planting with the choices you are making? Tough question? Yes it is, but at the end of our day, at the end of our year, at the end of our life, choices will have a large part in defining us. And beyond that, they will also influence others in our life—our children, our significant others, family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

The choices we make, eventually make us—who we become. That is a sobering thought, isn’t it? Does it mean God can’t redeem a poor choice? By all means, he can and he will (if you let him). Does it mean we won’t face any difficult situations if we make a ton of right choices? Not at all. Life is hard and bad things naturally happen. Our responsibility is to make the best possible choices with the information we have. In doing so, we plant seeds that will eventually grow into some kind of “fruit”.

Fruit can be physical in nature or spiritual. But all the seeds planted by the choices we make will grow into fruit which will have a positive return on investment like peace, honesty, and productivity. Or the opposite—a negative return on investment like bitterness, envy, deceit.

As a rule of thumb, when my kids leave the house for just about any reason, the last thing out of my mouth is, “Make good choices.” Simple enough, right? But those three simple words are packed to the gills with powerful and meaningful purpose. My goal in giving them those three words is to remind them that they indeed have a choice to make. It’s hard. I get it. But I also know how destructive poor choices can be.

Those three words are also a lesson to me. As I say them out loud, I am reminded of my great responsibility to make good choices for myself, and model that for those in my circle of influence. I truly believe that part of being a Christian is choosing well, and being an example to a broken and damaged world system.

I want to encourage you, as women who have such a major impact and influence on those around you, to embrace the gift of choice. Take it seriously. Let God guide you and instruct you on how to make tough but very fruitful decisions so that at the end of today, at the end of this year, and at the end of your life, you will have a beautiful and bountiful harvest.

Reflect and Respond:

As you go through your week, be mindful of the choices set before you. Some decisions will be easier and less weighty than others, but try and follow the path of the seed. Will it produce positive, life-affirming fruit for yourself and others, or not? And if you are struggling to make a God-honoring choice, take some time to pray about it and invite God in to help you find the courage to choose well.

Remember, you are not alone. Have a blessed week, and be fruitful!