Chocolate is my go-to flavor when eradicating my craving for something sweet. Not just any chocolate suffices, as I’ve spent a lifetime honing what gratifies. It’s easy to recognize a counterfeit when I’ve tasted the real deal.

Humans have favorite foods, clothes, restaurants, shows, music, cars, and movies, to name a few. I’d rather be outdoors than in a gym. I prefer hand-picking weeds to poisoning them. As unique as I am, so is each one of you. This diversity is why there is so much variety in the world. The lengths companies go to satisfy every possible yearning is exhausting.

A local restaurant chain features a vast array of delicious cheesecakes. The menu is a book. Not only are there many cheesecake options, but the entree possibilities are extensive—too many choices for my liking. Sometimes, too many choices can paralyze the decision-making muscle.

I toss this out for your consideration: Are we sometimes guilty of approaching life and relationships much the same way? Have you ever run into a store to grab something on the fly and detected an acquaintance there? Do you run through a quick mental checklist: too chatty, b-o-r-i-n-g, needy, pessimistic, pathetic, or religious, so you slide into the next aisle to avoid them? That’s a choice. How busy must I be in not choosing to share a cheery hello? Aren’t people worth our limited time?

I am not the only person who does this. I bet plenty of people have avoided me on many occasions. Yikes, there she is.

All she talks about is God and chocolate.

So, what merits our time and choices? We only get so many minutes in a day and years in a life. I was often surprised by the unexpected grace that flowed from an encounter I didn’t choose.

When it comes to God, where does he fit into your life choices?

Billions of people have no relationship with their Maker. Billions acknowledge Christ as Lord but push him aside due to more pressing temporal matters. Millions love and worship Jesus as their Lord and Savior yet go no further to make the world better by putting their faith into action. Millions go to Church, and millions do not.

My whole life, I have chosen to practice my Catholic faith and my life is better for doing so. Does this make me more special than those who do not? Hardly. It has always baffled me about the disparity of how Christians believe and live their faith. Our love of Christ demands our faith come alive and not stay hidden and private. We must spread the good news about the God-man Jesus Christ, his life, miracles, and infinite love for each of us. He willingly went to the Cross to prove this love, which removed all obstacles to total bliss in heaven with him for eternity. The only thing that closes that door for us is our free choice to reject him and continue a sinful life.

I often wonder why people do not want a relationship with the Lord.

Who is the God so many people hate or avoid?

I can only conclude that they do not know the Lord or what they are missing by not having this crucial relationship. Perhaps they were hurt by someone representing the Lord or have accepted a counterfeit instead of the authentic God.

In the Gospel of Matthew 16:15, Jesus is with his disciples and asks these men who have been his closest companions, “But, who do you say that I am?” They witnessed the miracles, walked countless miles together, ate with him, and were set ablaze through his words and actions. The question is timeless and directed at each human person.

“Who do YOU say that I am?”

Jesus

It has a relational connotation and requires a response. Jesus changes everything! There is no friend you will ever have, nor any moment wasted on Jesus. The eternal should always outweigh the temporal. He is the best friend you wish you always had, who knows you better than you know yourself, has your back, lifts you, and brings inner peace that is not dependent on outside circumstances.

What’s not to love?

The God I have come to love and discovered through His Word in Scripture, Holy Eucharist, various studies, talks, or books written for over two millennia since He walked the earth has only strengthened and grown my love for Him. I’ve witnessed Christ’s action in the lives of others, seen and experienced countless miracles personally, and felt his deep penetrating love to my soul even in my deepest sorrows and pain. Your life will radically change, and demanding situations will be transformed when we invite Christ into them. He is a friend, guide, clarifier, and peace giver. He is why I am the person I am, not a cosmic loser. Because I care about you now and forever, I invite you to choose Christ and invite him into your life, too. With so many choices in your life, this is the one choice that has everlasting consequences.

What’s not to love about that?