Several years ago, I was volunteering in an overcrowded church nursery that included ages 0–2. A young mother dropped off her two boys, and we nursery workers looked for the best way to make room for them. Because the oldest son seemed like he would be willing to play alone, we put him into one of the cribs. He really was too old for a crib, but it seemed a good way to contain him at the moment.

The boy played contentedly in the crib for several minutes and then suddenly said, “Hey, I’m in the crib! Why am I here?”

We laughed and moved him out. But I think all of us sometimes find ourselves in a different position than we ever imagined we would be. After months or years of making choices that lead us to our destination, we suddenly realize that we did not get to where we wanted to go. Only then do we stop and cry out, “Hey, I’m here in the crib. Why am I here?”

Unlike the two-year-old in the nursery, it’s not our circumstances that put us there. It is our choices.

In The Choice Is Yours, Mrs. Terrie Chappell points out that life is a series of choices. And the outcomes of our lives are the outcomes of those choices. She points to twelve powerful choices that have the power to shape our destinies and direct our steps into God’s will for our lives.

I had the privilege of helping with the manuscript of this book before it was released last summer. I appreciate the emphasis in the book on our choices (which we can control) and not our circumstances (which we often can’t control).

Over the past several months, Striving Together Publications has adapted this book into a ladies curriculum—the first-ever such curriculum for us to publish. As I helped to edit the curriculum, I found myself once again thankful for the truths spelled out in its pages.

The big takeaway from both the book and the curriculum is described in the subtitle: “Life happens. Walking with God is a decision.” Each chapter of the book and each lesson of the curriculum highlights a specific choice and practical steps that we can take to choose a life outcome of joy and purpose.

I was thrilled when the book was published, and I’m doubly excited that the curriculum is now available. If you’re looking for a Scripture-packed resource for personal growth in a purposed and meaningful walk with God, this book will encourage you. If you’re looking for a resource for a ladies group, Sunday school class, or Bible study, this curriculum will be a help.

You can order both the book and curriculum from strivingtogether.com. (Discounts are available for quantities of fifty or more in the curriculum student books.)