Cancer patients, investors, and sports coaches alike are obsessed with the answer to one crucial question: "What are my options?" Options explain much of what we do, think, and are. They provide restrictive boundaries as well as idyllic horizons that beckon us.
 
Ancient Romans had a form of capital punishment involving the condemned sitting in a room surrounded by retractable walls. Each day the walls inched closer until the inevitable occurred.
 
At times we feel as if life's walls are closing in on us. Our mobility, opportunities, and pleasures rapidly shrink. In short, our "option tank" is nearly empty. We say things such as:

• I'm down on my luck.
• My chances are slim to none, and I'm running out of slim.
• It seems I have to reach up to even touch bottom.

Some favorite biblical personalities experienced the anguish of greatly reduced options. Consider these familiar snapshots:

• Elijah under a juniper tree as he runs from the boiling wrath of Jezebel.
• Daniel receiving the king's ultimatum: "Stop serving your God or die!"
• Job thrashing about with torturous pain after a staccato of tragedies had struck him and those he loved.

Golden Apples Waiting to be Plucked
The opposite condition, a seemingly endless stream of perpetual blessings, is experienced by the few. Such persons have so many enticing options that their big problem is deciding which to choose. Will it be a Mercedes or Bentley? Shall we vacation in the Swiss Alps or the French Riviera?

Options are many when we are gifted with, what sociologists term, the "four Ps:" power, privilege, prestige, and possessions. Sprinkle in generous doses of good health, good looks, good brains, and a great family and friends who love us.

Most of us find ourselves somewhere between the two extremes with sufficient options for fulfilled living and the ability to positively impact the lives of others.

For these we offer gratitude to God, the Giver of all good things. But we're also stuck with our share of liabilities.

All of us realize full well that the options we have are tenuous. Our lives can dramatically change in a heartbeat. God's Word declares: "My feet had almost slipped, I had nearly lost my foothold." (Psalm 73:2). But just as certainly, when we fall, our heavenly Father can help us stand tall - and provide us with thoughtful options.

Options translate into potential opportunities: ones that can be either squandered or pursued for his honor and glory before they disappear.

Guidelines for Growth
We're wise to comprehend some crucial "rules of thumb" concerning the options of our lives. Consider the following:
1. Continually express gratitude for any options dispersed to us from our generous and wise God, who has a purpose for everything.
2. Refrain from wistfully comparing our options with those of others - with those having fewer, making us feel superior and arrogant, or with persons possessing more, frequently leading to jealousy and resentment.
3. Know that maximizing the options we have far transcends the number and quality of our options. This implies not squandering the options we are blessed with, and not allowing few (or poor) options to demean our sense of self-worth. It's the old "turn your lemon into lemonade" maxim - even if it yields only a half glass.
4. Realize that the God we serve can take our limited options, coupled with our obedience, and work wonders. Just ask the boy who offered his few loaves and fish to Jesus and the multitude, or the widow who offered her miniscule coin (mite) in the temple. In short, His dividends always compound.

It's one of those stories you hear once and never forget. An aged shut-in, wheelchair bound, resided in a downtown upstairs apartment. Despite her obvious limitation of options she had a Spirit-inspired compulsion to share her faith.

With her "Where-there's-a-will-there's-a-way" conviction, she began spending her days writing brief notes that explained the plan of salvation. Then, with a prayer on her lips, she dropped them out of her window to the crowded sidewalk below.
 
Many were ignored. Some were wadded, and tossed. But a surprising number were picked up, read, and meditated upon seriously. And, yes, souls were reached for the kingdom. Did she ever enjoy those "glasses of lemonade!"
 
Options. They are nice to have if utilized by responsible stewards. But when the number of them is in short supply, life can still count. In fact, there may be an increased dependency on God's power.
 
Spot On. Spot Off.
My biologist colleague shared a research study that compelled me to laugh. Setting the stage, he explained that a species of birds, spotted sparrows, have a unique way of determining clout. Put simply, the larger the white spot on its chest, the greater the authority acknowledged by the other sparrows.
 
The researchers selected and trapped the bird with the largest spot. Then they did the unforgivable - blocked out the spot completely, and left the bird without the privileged authority it had always assumed. In short, its power options were wiped out.
 
Of course, the unfortunate fowl did not initially realize what had occurred. It wasn't until it flew back to the tree where it and its compatriots hung out. Immediately, the bird recognized that it was offered no respect.
 
No longer was it perched on the highest branch. Disrespectfully, other birds landed on limbs above it. Its commands for others to scout for food were ignored. Again, options it had taken for granted were no longer available. In the words of the researchers, for the rest of its life, it became a "moral despot," fussing at birds who no longer kowtowed to its whims.
 
God's sustaining grace in our lives will keep us going no matter the "size of our spot." And in the words of the late respected Nazarene educator and author, Bertha Munro, "Not (just) somehow but triumphantly!"
 
Options? Again, great to have, but far greater to relinquish to the wonderful God we serve. In a word, they must be returned gifts.
 
Jon Johnston is professor of sociology and anthropology emeritus at Pepperdine University.
 
Holiness Today, January/February 2014

Please note: This article was originally published in 2014. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.