Choose

Joshua made this announcement and then asked the people what they were going to do.  He asks them if they will serve the Lord or if they would prefer to serve the local gods of the Amorites. The people point out to Joshua that the Lord was the One who led them out of Egypt, and who had performed great miracles right before their very eyes. The people pointed out that God had driven the local pagans out of the land that they were now standing on and they tell them that it is their decision to serve the Lord that had done all of these great things for them.  Joshua asks them if they are sure about this because the Lord may not forgive them if they worship the pagan gods of the Amorites or others.  The people almost with one voice declared that they would follow and serve the Lord.  The rest, as they say, is history.  The people try their best, but time and time again they fail and fail big time and end up going into exile and into slavery. Each time they went into slavery they learned to trust and depend on the Lord more and more and eventually their time of servitude would end and they would emerge as the Lord's people again.  

For me, it is the same as what happened to my ancestors in the time of Joshua.  I was young and sinless (more or less) and I learned about sin by experiencing it first hand.  I then went to confession and before God and His Church, I confessed what I had done and promised with the help of God's grace to sin no more.  For a while I kept my promise, fiercely turning away the devil's attempts to lure me back. My resolve would be great but my strength would drain. 

Soon I would hear the siren song of the mermaid on the rocks and I would leave the safety of my boat and swim to the rocks where she would tease me and keep me away from safety until weary from the struggle of the wind and the waves I would begin to sink as the mermaid who was so friendly before laughed at my plight as the waves claimed me.  I would then have no choice but to call upon Jesus, and He would come to my rescue and I would find myself back in the confessional, confessing the same sins that I had committed before and once again I would promise not to commit again.  This time, I was sure.  This time I would make it.  But then after some time had passed I would hear the alluring siren song again and because of the grace of God at work in me, I would resist mightily again but the allure eventually became too great and I would once again swim to the rocks forgetting the lesson of my last swim. 

What we cannot do ourselves in our attempt to serve the Lord, we must give the Lord and plead for help.  Help will come in the form of grace but always remember when we are at our strongest, we are most vulnerable to the siren song and allures of this world.  But be of good cheer, if you turn back with all your heart and at least try to serve the Lord, He will see what you are doing, He will approve and He will help you.  You may sin again, but the sound of the mermaid calling to you will have to be louder each time you resist her charms.  Eventually, the voice of your conqueror will be conquered by the voice of your Father in heaven, His constant love and attention to you will win the day.