THE POWER OF CHOICE
“You do you.”
“You can do whatever you want!”
“My body, my choice.”
These are the battle cries of society today. We, as human beings, somehow have the impression that our bodies and lives are ours and ours alone. We have forgotten about the Higher Being who created us. We neglect to see our lives are only on loan from the Lord, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and each body has a soul with inherent dignity.
As a result, we wind up with a world of lost humans. People question their purpose. Depression and suicide rates run rampant. Well-intentioned doctors try to solve the epidemic by giving out anxiety, depression and opioid medication like candy.
No medical doctor can fix this issue because it doesn’t have to do with the body. It’s an issue of the soul. It’s an issue of interior freedom, or the lack thereof.
People feel trapped. They feel stuck and don’t know how to get out. In a culture where people have more choices than ever, I would argue people are becoming increasingly more trapped as slaves to themselves.
So if this is an issue of the soul, how do we gain this “interior freedom?”
GIVING OUR FIAT
The Latin word “Fiat” means “Let it be done.”
It’s what Mary gave to the Lord when the archangel Gabriel appeared to her. It’s how the greatest Saints dealt with suffering. It’s how each of us is called to live. And it’s actually the biggest key in gaining interior freedom.
Until we are willing to change our focus from what we want to what God wants, we will never gain interior freedom and will always be a slave to ourselves and our choices.
It sounds counterintuitive– when we surrender control to the Lord instead of acting like we are in control, we have the power to give our fiat and set ourselves up to find meaning in every situation.
THE POWER OF CHOICE
So what exactly does “giving our fiat” mean? What does that look like practically?
Many people in the Christian life would suggest to accept everything we are given, especially suffering, as a necessary means of salvation. And everything is a gift from the Lord to transform us into the people we are created to be.
While that’s technically true, it can sound straight up depressing when put in those terms.
“I’m just supposed to suffer in misery my whole life and accept everything given to me. Then why were the Saints—people who often suffered extreme sorrow in life—some of the most joyful individuals?”
It’s a result of the way they used their freedom. When they surrendered all to Jesus, they didn’t give up their free will and choices, but embraced them. They didn’t just accept what was given to them–they actively chose it and offered it back to Jesus in love. And we have the same power in our lives!
DON’T ACCEPT, CHOOSE.
We should not merely accept our state in life. We should choose it. There’s a difference. Acceptance has an “it is what it is,” apathetic attitude toward a circumstance, while having the freedom to make a choice has an attitude of willingness and confidence.
I felt inspired while reading “Interior Freedom” by Father Jacques Phillipe, because he lays out how the saints were so joyful in hard times. He says,
“We should not limit ourselves into accepting things grudgingly, but should truly consent to them—not endure them, but in a sense “choose” them (even if in fact we have no choice, and that’s what most annoys us).”
Phillipe, pg. 44-45
By choosing that circumstance which most annoys or upsets us, we transform what is taken from us—by life, events, or people—into something offered, not taken. That is what freedom can do for us if we use it in the correct manner (pg. 57).
“Human freedom is of absolutely unheard-of greatness. It does not confer the power to change everything, but it does empower us to give a meaning to everything, even meaningless things; and that is much better… Our lives no longer have in them anything negative, ordinary, or indifferent. Positive things become a reason for gratitude and joy, negative things an opportunity for abandonment, faith and offering: everything becomes a grace.”
Ibid, pg. 57-58
THERE’S NO BACK, ONLY FORWARD
So today, friends, I want to challenge you to join me in choosing the events of this day. Don’t think of what “could have been” or what “might be,” only think of now. What has God given you today?
Are you having a rough time dealing with something in your personal life? Maybe you’re struggling emotionally, physically, or spiritually. Whatever it is, don’t try to run away from it. Don’t just accept it. Go a step further: CHOOSE IT. Use your freedom to bring meaning to each moment of your life. Transform the seemingly ordinary and insignificant actions of each day into moments of grace.
This is the path to holiness and true interior freedom: joyfully choosing to give our fiat, our everything, to the Lord in each moment of our lives.
From the depths of my soul,
