Although I’m home after a 12 day trip to England, pieces of my mind and heart are still over there. Often during the day I’ll check the clock and add 5 hours to mentally get back into their routine for a few minutes. Also, looking at weather.com for what’s happening outside their windows is another way I can move closer while still being far away.

Any time I’m able to spend concentrated time with my grandchildren, I find myself newly appreciating the great variety among the 9 of them and see again the extent of God’s marvelous creativity. Though all humans have much in common, the diversity is astounding.

The other day in England Katy and I were having a lunchtime chat with Nicholas, Thomas and Evelyn when the subject of musical instruments came up. As we talked about Katy’s musical background and talents, Evelyn piped up, “I’m going to play a trumpet!” nodding her head for emphasis as if to say, “It’s a sure thing!”

Thomas quickly chimed in, “I’m going to play the tambourine!” and Nicholas calmly said, “I want to play a flute.”

Later, Katy and I talked about how the personalities God had implanted in these three children showed through in their instrument choices. Evelyn is vivacious, strong-willed, and spirited, a perfect match for the trumpet. Thomas is deliberate, friendly, and emotional, a good pairing with a tambourine. And Nicholas is detailed and soft-spoken with a quirky sense of humor, joining nicely with the flute.

Their choices of instruments that day were, in a way, outward expressions of their inner makeup. But isn’t that true for all of us? The choices we make reveal who we are.

The same holds true for God. If we read Scripture with the intent of understanding him better, all we have to do is study his choices. For example, he chooses to extend grace, though he lets us suffer consequences for what we do. He also chooses to discipline us when we rebel against him but to love us no matter what. But best of all, he chooses to save us from judgment rather than to let us experience what we deserve.

In looking at those choices and hundreds more in the Bible, we get a glimpse of who God really is, deep down. By that, we come to know him better (though I don’t believe we’ll ever know him completely) and love him more.

Interestingly, God wants to study the choices we make, too, and not just which musical instruments we choose to play. He’s far more interested in our spiritual choices, and in particular, whether or not we’ll choose him. And maybe part of deciding one way or another about what to do is to be sure we learn as much as possible about the One hoping we will choose him.

After all, he’s already chosen us.

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)