The Power to Choose: God’s Gift, Our Responsibility

Many of us struggle with honing our power of choice.

We wake up each day facing decisions, some small — like what to eat or wear — and others that shape our future: how to respond to pain, whom to trust, whether to forgive, or when to let go. In a world overflowing with voices and options, the ability to choose wisely feels like both a gift and a burden.

But this struggle isn’t new. It began in a garden. In the beginning, Eden was paradise. Trees swayed under heaven’s breath, animals roamed without fear, and God walked hand-in-hand with His creation. In the center stood two trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God gave Adam and Eve freedom beyond measure, but He also set one boundary for them.

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden,” He said, “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.”(Genesis 2:16-17)

It was not a trap. It was love. Because love always includes the freedom to choose.

But then came the whisper. "Did God really say,” The serpent didn’t tempt Eve with power alone, but with doubt in God’s goodness, His intentions, His heart. She looked at the fruit and saw something that appeared good, desirable, even wise. She reached. Adam followed. And the moment they chose control over trust, something fractured—not just in the Garden, but in every human heart that would come after.

Today, we are far from Eden’s trees, but the choice remains the same.

Will I trust God, or trust myself? Will I surrender, or will I strive? Will I obey, or will I grasp for control? The fruit of today may appear as people-pleasing, comparison, self-doubt, fear, or a need to be right. It still whispers the same lie: “You’ll be better off choosing your own way.”

But here’s the truth: the power of choice still belongs to you. And in Christ, you are no longer bound by your past decisions. Jesus, the second Adam, came to restore what was lost. Where Adam failed, Jesus chose obedience. Where Eve doubted, Jesus trusted. At the cross, He took the weight of every broken choice and opened a path back to the Tree of Life, not in a garden out there, but within us.

Today, the Garden lives in you. You still stand between two trees, between trust and control, life and illusion. The world will continue to offer its shiny fruit. But every moment gives you the chance to pause, return to the heart of God, and choose differently. Choose trust. Choose truth. Choose life.

Reflection Questions:

• Where in your life are you being tempted to choose control over trust?

• What “fruit” are you reaching for that God may be asking you to release?

• How can you practice choosing God’s way in your daily decisions?

Declaration:

“Today, I honour the power God has given me to choose. I choose to trust His heart, surrender my own understanding, and walk with Him in the Garden of my soul. I choose life.”