Choices

In one of the final scenes of The Sorcerers Stone, Harry Potter makes the observation that he shares several characteristics with the central villain, Lord Voldomort. Dumbledorf responds with the best line in the whole movie, he says “You are not defined by your abilities, but by the choices you make”. What a line! Greatness is not determined by our innate abilities, but by our ability to make good choices with the abilities we are born with.

I’m continually astonished at the value God places in freedom of choice. God designed the angels with the ability to choose to serve Him or not. Satan chose to serve himself rather than his creator. God apparently values freedom of choice so highly that He was willing to let Satan and one third of the angels suffer eternally so that all could have a choice. With the backdrop of that choice and the following angelic war God chose to create Adam and Eve with the ability to make the same choice with the result that sin and death, pestilence and war, and in the end, eternal destruction for some became the reality for mankind. He values our freedom of choice so highly he was willing allow us to suffer the consequences of our choices even though He knew He and we would live with pain and suffering because He gave and gives us the ability to choose. Incredible!