Mom Heart Moments #267

You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

NEW YORK CITY IS AWHIRL WITH OPPORTUNITIES: the lights of Broadway, international cafés, and the excitement of business and trade. It is also a place of drug dealers, bars, and a host of temptations. Yet this is where my nineteen-year-old son, Nathan, had received a scholarship to attend New York Film Academy.

As a mother, I hoped I had trained him to make good decisions, to walk with God in the midst of temptation, to be safe from the dangers of a big city; yet I knew at my core that I had no control over my son’s life. I would have to leave him in God’s hands.

Early one morning, after he had been bedazzled by the city, Nathan was jogging in a park near his apartment. As he ran, he said it was as though God spoke to him:

What kind of story are you going to write with your life? You are the one who will determine your reputation. People are only victims if they let their circumstances determine how they behave.

There are so many ways your life can go now that you are on your own in a big city with lots of pathways —those that could destroy your life and those that will create a life of godliness. Which life will you pursue? Will you chase after the world, or will you chase after Me?

My son said that at that point, he realized he would have to decide to chase after God and His ways if he wanted to grow in godliness and write a great story with his life.

How will you chase after God today?