One movie that I have always enjoyed watching was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It has never made it into my top ten, and I certainly would not want to base my theological beliefs on its Biblical accuracy. Rather it’s one of my guilty pleasures. It makes me laugh and I find great satisfaction whenever I see the good guy win.
My favorite scene in the movie is where Indiana finally reaches the cave of the Holy Grail (the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper), watched over by an ancient knight. (Spoiler Alert! If you have never sat through the show, you may want to skip the rest of the paragraph.) Indy enters a cave where the fountain of eternal youth is, and a rock shelf containing a large collection of chalices ranging from ornate gold ones to quite plain ones. Right behind Indy is the Bad Guy, an evil Nazi sympathizer who wanted to drink from the fountain himself so he could live forever. The old knight explained that you had to pick the right cup, the Holy Grail in order to reap the benefit from the fountain and that picking the wrong one would result in death. The Bad Guy pushed his way forward, looked over the chalices, and picked the most ornate bejeweled cup saying that it truly was a cup fit for a king! He filled it and drank. His victory lasted about five seconds, after which he began to age approximately a hundred years in less than a minute and wound up a pile of dust on the floor of the cave. The old knight said, “He chose…poorly.” I guess so!
Indy didn’t want to live forever. He just wanted to save his father who lay dying from a gunshot wound back at the entrance to the cave. He chose the plainest cup on the shelf saying that it was a proper cup for a humble carpenter. He took a sip to make sure it wouldn’t kill his dad, and he showed no ill effects. The old knight said, “You have chosen wisely!”. Indy gave his dad the water and he was healed.
So much of our quality of life depends on the choices we make. As I was thinking of a list of things we must choose over, I was reminded of the passage in Ecclesiastes where it is written
"For everything that happens in life—there is a season, a right time for everything under heaven: A time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, a time to collect the harvest; A time to kill, a time to heal; a time to tear down, a time to build up; A time to cry, a time to laugh; a time to mourn, a time to dance; A time to scatter stones, a time to pile them up; a time for a warm embrace, a time for keeping your distance; A time to search, a time to give up as lost; a time to keep, a time to throw out; A time to tear apart, a time to bind together; a time to be quiet, a time to speak up; A time to love, a time to hate; a time to go to war, a time to make peace." Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
It is true that much of this list is about discerning what time it actually is, but much of it is also about what we are going to choose to do, or not. Do I give birth, or abort? Do I let what is happening make me cry, or laugh, or even make me angry? Do I let someone in where I can be hurt, or do I keep them at arm’s length and perhaps miss out on something special? Do I build up, or destroy? Do I go to war, or make peace? Do I trust, or do I not? Do I tough it out, or do I give up? And especially in these times, do I embrace, or do I keep my distance?
This is the stuff that life is all about. These are choices we make every day in some form or another. What will we choose? And will we choose poorly, or will we choose wisely?
There is an account given in the Scriptures about a man named Job. In the first chapter, Job is described as
“… a very good man—his character spotless, his integrity unquestioned. In fact, he so believed in God that he sought to honor Him in all things. He deliberately avoided evil in all of his affairs.” Job 1:1
The account goes on to describe a day when all the angels had gathered together in God’s presence, and Lucifer was among them. God asked Lucifer, “Have you ever seen anyone like Job? He is without equal when it comes to loving me with his whole heart and making good choices?” and Satan answered Him and said,” Sure he does! And why wouldn’t he when you bless everything he touches and protect him from any harm? But take away your blessing and protection, and he will curse you to your face!” So God gave Satan permission to test Job any way he saw fit, but He forbade Satan from putting his hand on Job’s body. And that day Job lost everything he had including his children.
How would you have chosen to respond to that test, if it had been given to you? Job chose to respond with the following.
“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshipped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” Job 1:20-22
Job chose…wisely!
The account of Job ends with God restoring to Job a double portion of everything that he had lost, but that is not the point of the account, nor is it why Job chose to worship God. Job chose to worship God because He is who He is; the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, and He is worthy to be praised, and finally because it is the right thing to do.
Job is dead and gone, and now it’s our turn; yours and mine. Every day we are faced with a storm of problems, trials, and tests. Will we choose to live in fear or in confidence? Will we trust, or will we doubt? Will we hide, or will we step bravely into a future known only to God?
One thing I know. Job may be gone, but God is here now and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I will choose to believe and to trust Him, and I humbly recommend that you do the same. And I believe that in the end, we will hear Him say, “My child, you have chosen…wisely!”
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