WWID: What Would I Do?

There are many instances in the Bible when I think "I would have made a better choice than..." The account of the fall of man is one such place. Surely I would not have eaten of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and thus I would have spared this world much pain and misery. Or during the exodus from Egypt I certainly wouldn't have complained about the manna from Heaven. And certainly I wouldn't have the problem the disciples had in the Garden of Gethsemane - as described by Elisabeth Eliot in The Music of His Promises:

"When our Lord Jesus knew that the hour of His suffering was upon Him, He asked of the three chosen disciples only one thing - such a little thing: sit here and watch. They failed. Had they any inkling of the desperate flood-tide of anguish that was about to overwhelm their Master? Did they turn from it helplessly and take refuge in sleep, or were they so oblivious that they stretched out comfortably under the olive trees and took 'forty winks' to kill time?

Jesus had asked for supportive companionship - three men to count on. All they had to do was come into the garden, sit there while He prayed alone, and stay awake. It was a share in His sufferings. A very little share.

So He asks of us. Whatever the measure of suffering life has meted out, it is small indeed when measured against His..."

It is so presumptuous of us (me?) to think that we would have made all the right choices in each of these situations. But the older I get, the more experience tells me that obedience is not as easy as it appears. Nonetheless, God is faithful. He began a good work in us, and he will complete it (Philippians 1:6).