So today in my church flock (like a small group) which consists of young adults, we were discussing the "the Will of God." We came to the realization that it's not our job to "find the Will of God." His Will is always going to be there; it's not going to go away. If He has a Will for you, He's going to make sure you get there and He's never to leave you hanging.
People often think that when they're making a decision you have to choose the "right" one, and if you don't choose the right one, you're going to end up not fulfilling your purpose in life or not following the Will of God.
For my generation, right now a lot of us are trying to decide where we want to go to college, or what we want to do with our lives post-high school. It's definitely a stressful process, but people find that they're having a hard time deciding between this school or that school and they're thinking, "If I go here I might miss out on God's Will!" Or, "Maybe I chose wrong! I'm not going to find my purpose in life!"
Whether people admit it or not, each person wants to find the most efficient way - or the most correct way - to get from point A to point B in their life. Detours, especially in American culture, are frowned upon in people's minds and they are not things people really want to have to deal with.
It used to be that people made a big deal about finding one's "purpose in life." I'm here to say, that there's no need to search for it.
God's Will has always been there and will always be there; there is no possible way for you to escape God's Will. Take for example Jonah in the Bible, he probably went the furthest out of his way than anyone else in history, to try and avoid God's purpose for him. I mean, he got eaten by a whale for Pete's sake just so he could avoid going to Nineveh where God had called him!! But did that stop God's plan for him?? No!! God made it so that he would return to what He had called Jonah to do. And even though the journey did have a lot of road bumps and it was probably very uncomfortable for Jonah, God's Will was for him to go to Nineveh, and eventually, he fulfilled that purpose that God had laid out, despite his efforts not to.
I'm not saying that God is going to make our lives difficult if we happen to make a "wrong" decision or that it's going to be always painful to get back on track (though it may be). Really, my point is that no matter what you do or what decision you make, if God has a Will and purpose for you, He's going to get you there.
Now, just as a disclaimer, I want to make it clear that this is not an excuse to do whatever the heck you want and think that God's going to fix it for you. You still have to seek wisdom in Him in order to A.) be happy (Proverbs 3:13) and B.) to easily fulfill his Will. Jonah didn't necessarily choose God's original plan, and obviously, it was a tough road back.
Also, don't think that this means that you have to have some grand, monumental purpose in your life; our societal perception of purpose is that it has to be something physically significant, but that's not true. God's Will is so beyond us, you may never even know what exactly you accomplished until you finally meet Him in Heaven! But that's okay! Take Enoch, for example, from Genesis. Enoch is only mentioned in the Bible truly only two times, once in Genesis where it talks about his genealogy and a second time in Hebrews 11:5 where it says that "By faith, Enoch was taken away so that he did not experience death, and he was not to be found because God took him away." What I am saying is since Enoch isn't mentioned in very many other places of the Bible, he must not have done anything significant enough to be mentioned elsewhere in the Bible! Yet, it was by his faith that he was taken into Heaven without dying. Enoch didn't do anything majorly significant to be pleasing to God. Enoch fulfilled his purpose - living as an example of faith- in his life (which happened to be 365 years long!) and God was extremely pleased with him. I doubt Enoch knew what his life's purpose was, but it didn't matter to him so long as he walked with God.
...
Today was Father's Day, and for Father's Day we went down to the 16th St. Mall in Denver to see the new Michelangelo and Leonardo DiVinci museum exhibit. It was very interesting, but one thing that struck me was a quote written by Michelangelo, himself. It read as this:
"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."
If we are the blocks of stone, God is our sculptor and the statue is His Will. According to Michelangelo, the block of marble already has the masterpiece within it, it's just his job to remove the excess stone and shape it so that the statue will come through. This is exactly the same as with us. God's Will is there and He will make it happen.
I'm not going to pretend I understand the world around me. I'm wouldn't even bother commenting on this if I didn't think you are just as scared, lost, and frightened as me or the other 90% of the population about the future and the places we will take ourselves in the future. It's hard for me to relax in a place where it feels like the earth might implode on itself out of it's self loathing and fear. Think about the NSA hullabaloo, for example. How can we possibly think about the plans ahead of us if we can't trust ourselves because we're to afraid of each other that we waste all of our time spying on one another?
ReplyDeleteWhy are we so terrified of what one another will do that we end up killing ourselves, our children, and even our children's children by wasting our limited time and limited resources on hurting and hunting and killing one another? And more importantly, how can this be part of a master plan?
How are we, as a race, going to turn out if we DON'T make the right choices?
I'm afraid that if we don't it ends in self destruction.
DOES everything turn out all right in the end? How can we know?
I'm asking you these questions for the same reason I'm scared.
I'm afraid. I fear fear itself. It's the only thing to be afraid of. So please.
Help me understand. I'm scared I can't rely on God's will because I don't see him. Or hear him. Or notice the little things he does to nudge me this way or that.
As a human I need guidance. Not as a cog in a master plan. As a human.
I am more than just a tool.
I want to understand because that is the only thing that will teach me to move past fear.
I'm terrified that I don't know everything.
So please, teach me.
As a human.
As a scared child of both God and Humanity.
As an anonymous reader of your blog.
As a colleague of your generation.
How do I stop being terrified all the time?
Please help.
I am not going to pretend like I know the answer or how to help. Like you said, I'm human and I admit, a slave to humanity. This world is so jacked up, you are absolutely right. But it is not jacked up because it is part of God's master plan; it is messed up because of the sin of this world that we as humans are prey to. This sin is most definitely not from God.
DeleteSo yes, we make the "wrong decisions" on a daily, even hourly basis! But God has forgiven us and this allows us to live in freedom. Again, I reiterate, this is not an excuse to do whatever we want. But this freedom allows us to come back to Him. It allows us to come back to Him.
Like I mentioned above, in reference to Jonah, he disobeyed God - that's a pretty big offense in the grand scheme of things! But God eventually brought him back to where he was called to be. And if you've read the story, you can clearly see that it was NOT a pleasant journey - emotionally (pride) and physically. But also, Jonah learned and grew in God from this.
God doesn't make bad things happen. But sometimes he allows them so that he can reveal in us something more beautiful or meaningful or honoring.
John 15:2 says this: "He [Jesus] cuts off every branch of me that doesn't bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more." I don't know about you, but being cut with pruning sheers doesn't sound like too good of a time to me. But He promises us through his Word that He prunes us so that we will become even more!
But of course there is true evil in this world and there are those who explicitly denounce God and/or serve the Devil. But each individual has his/her own relationship (good or bad) with God. We absolutely have the right to be afraid! But think of these things:
"What, then, can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
Psalm 118:6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
And lastly, remember this:
"Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:6
He's gonna get you there if you have faith in Him. Those other people who are causing such destruction in our world are not following His Will because they do not have faith in Him to meet the needs they are so earnestly and dramatically trying to fill.
I know it's scary and I know it's hard, but faith is the root of Christianity and Christianity is not a religion - it's a relationship. Keep faith. "If our God is for us, who can stand against us?"
Hope this helps.
That wasn't... Quite what I was looking for.
DeleteMaybe I should've made it clearer that it's not that I fear the road ahead of me, but rather the destination.
I don't fear making the wrong choice. In fact, I welcome it. I don't care if occasionally I fail or if occasionally I step on a tack.
It's just... How are we expected to continue forward if we don't even know which way to turn to even face forward?
I'm not looking for an inspirational quote about how failure will help me learn or grow.
I'm not looking for an answer to that.
The real question is how do I figure out what is a failure and what is a happy happening? How do I even understand what my destiny is?
Do I have a destiny?
If I do, what does that make me?
A tool?
A WEAPON?
Am I alive?
Can I really think, and do my thoughts matter?
And if they do, what does THAT make me?
A cog that occasionally turns too fast or too slow?
A spec of dust, insignificant?
Why can we make decisions if the future is predestined, in the end?
What does that make this conversation, between two keyboards and their users. A step in the right direction?
Or just another insignificant part of this world that doesn't matter, just like my decisions and actions?
Is there such a thing as direction?
Is there a God?
If there is, and he is "Trimming" me for another day, why can't I see where I'm going with every stupid twist, turn, and tragedy this stupid world takes me on?
How can I be sure, in a sense, that I am good? And if I am, why isn't everyone else, also?
Why do I have to be on a need to know basis? Where does wanting to know something begin and needing to know it end?
Why do we wander around in the fucking dark and shoot each other in the foot all the time because of it?
Why - in a sense - am I so afraid of the destination's unknown-ness that I can't even take a step forward?
I know I'm not alone in this, and so I ask you, probably one of the brightest of our generation.
What do you think?
Why do you think that?
If it makes it easier to answer, think of this as a test. Don't try to make a believer out of me, just tell me what you think about the destination.
I have a road of my own to travel.
P.S.
IF YOU SKIM THIS I'll CRY LOTS AND LOTS
First of all thanks for being so open and willing to question, that itself is a step forward. I'd like to ask you a question in response to, "Or just another insignificant part of this world that doesn't matter, just like my decisions and actions?" Do you really think your decisions and actions don't matter? Everyday you interact with people, everyday you think and ponder ideas. If our actions don't matter than what's the point of anything? I'm not a huge fan of the "What you do can change the world" because chances are it won't. But we can have drastic change on our families and friends, the people we care about and who care about us. What we say and do matters. The end destination is in base 2. You're either a 0 or a 1 in the end. As to finding your destiny... it doesn't happen overnight, just like being in love isn't instantaneous. You find out what your destiny, or purpose is along the way. Luckily I have an amazing God who will help guide me through prayer and the Bible because the only purpose that really matters is giving glory and praise to Jesus. It takes courage to take that first step, but every step gives you momentum to take the next one, you can only answer your questions by stepping out, you can't let your fear of the unknown stop you from finding the answer.
DeleteHopefully that was helpful, and I apologize if it wasn't.
Maybe I'm coming off a little strong, anyhow. I'm not expecting anyone to have an answer or a solution to my questions. These same questions have plagued humanity for generations. I'm just feeling like there is a little bit of duality with the responses.
DeleteDo we have a destiny or do we not?
is there some grey area where we make decisions but in the end they don't matter because we end up in the same place anyhow?
Personally I find it more comforting to NOT have one just because It means what I does matters. What scares me though is that I'll end up in a place where I'm disappointed because I never tried anything due to the end result being hidden from view.
Or is it my destiny to be disappointed anyhow?
Do you start to see why this whole topic is confusing?
It's like trying to solve both ends of an equation at once, but with no idea what the other side is.
or even closer: 1+1=2, (1+5-6)*1+2=2
but did that extra crap matter?
I dunno. Maybe I'm over-thinking it. That's usually what happens.
I'm honestly more interested in what you two think then my thought process at this point.
Just for curiosity's sake.
Hmmm... I definitely see where you are coming from and I know what that's like, because I've had those same thoughts myself. Definitely things that are worthy of contemplation. But truly, I think that it all boils down to where you put your faith in. Do you put it in humanity? Or in God? As you've already pointed out, humanity is so corrupt, it would be senseless to put stock in it. Humanity and society has taught us to be prepared for everything, do it all ourselves, and "follow our hearts." Think of all the outside, worldly influences on us though. How can we trust ourselves when we're just ourselves? I certainly don't trust myself! But by choosing to put my stock and faith in God, the fear goes away.
DeleteAnd when you say that your decisions don't matter, what you're saying is that the events of the future are predestined. A step further would be to say that God is just a giant puppet master and we are helpless. I don't mean to put words in your mouth, so I'm sorry about that. But even if this is not what you're saying, what I just said is not true. God gives us free will to make our own choices, if he didn't, we would not live in such a jacked up world. Free will is a beautiful and cursed thing.
Your "destiny" is known by God, but not necessarily decided by God. You still make your own decisions, but God may help guide you to where He knows is best for you. Do what makes you happy and what is pleasing to Him. God never wishes disappointment or sorrow on you. He loves you.
It all boils down to one thing: where is your faith? The world that is cruel and beats you up? Or in a God that loves you?
I hope that made sense; keep asking questions if you have them. Questions are healthy :)
Now see, we're getting closer to what I was wondering!
DeleteGiant puppet master was more of what I was trying to "imply" without being a large bag of dicks.
But I don't agree with you on one point.
I actually to put my lot in with humanity. I don't believe humans are inherently evil. Nor good, for that matter. We are, in fact, just human! We do shitty things occasionally, but I wouldn't call it corrupt. Maybe not perfect, but not corrupt. Humans are neutral from birth, and then grow with their surroundings.
In fact, some of the best stories talk about how two parallel characters fall and rise, respectively.
A good example of this, while not "the best story ever", is actually the Green Lantern movie.
In the end, the protagonist uses his will to overcome fear, while the antagonist's will is overcome by fear.
Parallel, but two completely different outcomes.
While the world may be cruel occasionally, I feel like it can be just and giving and forgiving in return.
The difference between you and me is that I attribute both to the same source.
Maybe God wants me to find my own path, or maybe he really likes parallel universes and can see me both fail and succeed at the same time.
So maybe the God loves me, but then he equally hates me as well and it really just depends on the day?
I don't know. For me it's extremely black and white with a lot of these questions.
If I have a destiny, that means I already have a destination.
If I DON'T, it means that my destination constantly changes, with no predicting where I'll land. It's more like shooting a rocket towards the moon and hoping it lands where I want it.
But it will fire because I want it to.
Not because it's God's will or because its my destiny.
The poem "The road less traveled" is closer to my opinion.
Except I don't think that there is a road. Or even a small, crappy, unworn hiking trail.
Just a bunch of different directions that I could choose to travel in and hope I hit something interesting every once and a while.
Maybe I'm wrong and I'm just blathering on about stuff that is inherently unknown.
As a person, though, I don't need comfort in my usefulness. If I'm useful it will be because I said so.
If I have a destiny and that is to be inherently useless, I'll reject that reality and substitute my own.
Because for all I know no one is pointing me in the right direction, including God, so I'll just do my best to pick a direction with a lot of fun stops.
think it's clear that both of us have different views on life, higher powers, and/or the future. I think we can both agree that neither one of us is going to change the other's mind anytime soon (not that we were trying to). I don't know about you, but I'm ok with that! I am a huge proponent of hearing others' opinions, even if I may not agree with them and I try to stick to that mindset.
DeleteI am not able to make a direct response to your last post but this I where I think I stand on the topics you brought up: I believe humans are inherently good. I believe God created humans and I believe that all God creates is good. However, the reason bad things happen is because man chose to disobey God in the garden of Eden as a result of our free will. Now,I understand why you may not believe this (if you don't). It's entirely faith based and because of that, it becomes a personal choice in whether to believe it happened or not with nothing more as evidence than the Bible says so. I get it. However, back to my point, this is where sin entered the world and sin is what drives all the bad things that have happened, do happen, and will happen throughout history. It's a misuse (and sometimes unconscious misuse) of free will. I'm guilty of it, you're guilty of it, we're all guilty of it. But luckily, and this is what I choose to believe, we don't have to pay for these sins because I believe that Jesus took the punishment for us by dying for our sins on the cross. We should still try and not sin, but because we're human (like you said) and do screw up, we won't have to face the judgement of God later on.
In response to your statements on destiny. What I wrote about in the original posting (not the comments) may have been a little misguiding. I think you're absolutely right. We do make our own decisions and own choices and take our own paths. That's the free will thing. God doesn't control us. If he did, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. It was written originally for those who do believe God has a plan/purpose for them in life, but are worried about messing it up, in which case I basically was saying that don't feel like if you choose one thing over the other, then your life is over. However, even though you commented with a slightly different topic, I am very glad you did. It brings up some interesting points. Destiny is also a faith based thing. Like you said, you can choose to believe one or not - it's up to you and how you want to view it. I personally don't like the word "destiny." I feel like it has some ambiguous connotations attached to it. But that's slightly besides the point. I personally would like to know what my future looks like (that's just the type of person I am; if you know me - and I am assuming you do - you probably know that about me). So for people like me, talking about not worrying about the future and my decisions was comforting to me. However, for people who may not care or want to know what they're future looks like, etc., etc., it may be comforting to know that in the end it will be all right. God only writes happy endings. You are the true writer, though. You make your own decisions about your life out of free will, but God is kinda like the clicks on a metal detector. The noise the clicks make tells you that you are getting closer to the buried treasure, but they don't control where you move. You have to choose to follow them. Does that makes sense? Sorry I couldn't think of a better analogy.
The first word of this post was supposed to be "I." Sorry about that.
DeleteMan. I'm sad I missed that last post. Worth the read. But I don't agree with some things, and I should clear up some more things. You may even miss this, for all I know.
DeleteFirst of all, I'm pretty sure you don't know me. At least, not well. We've met but we never really talked. I just found your blog interesting, for the most part. Otherwise, why would I post? It's definitely worth the read and you should consider doing it more often. I'm pretty sure, in fact, that if we talked we would be completely alien to one another. We come from very different places, despite living in the same "area." The distance is a little wide to be considered the same area anyhow. Different sides of CO.
For one thing, I would hate to know my future. Knowing the decisions I make would only lead me to dwell on my imperfections, something I already do with impeccable fervor. I don't need more viewpoints for me to not like myself. That's why I type in the middle of the night like this. It's great for introspection. A nice dark place to hide my thoughts and choose my outlets for emotions. And your blog gets to be one of those places! Yay?
Secondly, I think you may be misinterpreting my posts. These are for me to examine my own thoughts and yours through debate and "strife." A passionate argument is as strong as a microscope into thought as a cat-scan. I enjoy them. They make thoughts worth thinking. If you can convince me of something, it's because I want to believe you. I'm not here to question your faith. I'm here to make you think, so that I can respond in turn.
I'm fond of doing this kind of thing because I find thought interesting. The fact that we can come from different places, have different experiences, and still come to an agreement on some things is wonderful. It makes me believe in humanity. It makes me think that we might have hope for the human race yet.
So convince me. Make me believe. It can only make you a better person. The great thing about the Internet is that we can have conversations like this in a safe environment. Make me think, and I'll return the favor. Who knows, maybe it will help, you in the future.
If I provoke you, let me have it. Make me wonder why I had that opinion in the first place.
So let me ask you this: If not destiny, then what word? What word could possibly describe every outcome, every decision that you ever make in your life? What compels you to throw away this word? If we choose our destiny, then how could we possibly know what our choices will lead us towards? Not only that, but how can destiny be ambiguous when it's nature is to be defined? From person to person, destiny may be ambiguous, but even the word itself means to be predetermined.
Here's what really hit me, though. How can God only write happy endings if we see people dying painfully from disease or from one another every day? How can war have a happy ending? What makes us hurt each other so much on a daily basis if everything will turn out alright?
Can we really trust ourselves to believe that? Can we do that to our species? Assume that it will all turn out all right?
And if we're the true writer, than what role does God play in the first place? How can he effect us if he doesn't really write the book?
Maybe I'm missing some element of balance that I'm not quite sure of. Maybe that's why I have such trouble sleeping. I don't know. The world sure would be easier if there was just black and white. Ugh.
If you read this maybe I continue replying. The real question is this:
Do you really want to deal with these questions?
Take the blue pill, or the red pill?
You certainly bring up some really interesting points that I sadly cannot answer at this time! I guess for me, "destiny" has just lost a lot of meaning. Like, truly what we are describing is "destiny" but I feel like society has taken that word and diminished its value, therefore I don't prefer to call it that. I guess a better way to convey such would be like a "master blueprint or plan".......? I don't know. It's not so much that destiny itself is ambiguous (though to a certain extend it is... It's an oxymoron) but it's the connotation versus the denotation that gets me.
DeleteIn response to your last paragraph and questions, that is really a very tough thing to answer because what you say most definitely appears very true on the surface. And maybe it is. But the fact that there are so many terrible endings in this world and that being a direct contradiction to my statement. Again, I am at a loss for a direct rebuttal, but I shall share this for you as brain food: God gives us free will because He loves us and He gives us this freedom to choose so that we can more genuinely find joy and satisfaction in Him. If we were forced into it, what would be the point of creating us in the first place? It'd be so fake.
Also, I think that the term "happy ending" is ambiguous when it comes to defining what the "ending" is. Because clearly, as you have pointed out, there are many, many cases of non happy endings for millions and millions of people. But perhaps what it is is the ultimate ending. God has promised that for those who personally believe in him with true faith and have accepted that Jesus died on the cross for their sins that these people will get to spend eternity with Him in paradise. And this includes people who have died and who are living. But that part of it all comes down to choice once again. You have to choose to believe these things in order to receive this gift. To me, these bad endings are from the sin of the world and earthly nature of things where these things can exist. But post death, there is the potential for an eternal happy life.
You may be wondering, "What about those people who never got the chance to make that choice? Like babies or people who have never heard of God?" I honestly don't know how God handles those situations, but I believe that God rescues babies and He has His own special way of working with those who have not been reached. That's completely foreign to me though and I may just think these things to help me sleep better at night but I feel like God works in mysterious ways and some ways that I will never ever know until I meet Him.
Glad you decided to write back :)
I love Michelangelo's quote! What a beautiful metaphor.
ReplyDeleteThere was a Leonardo DiCaprio exhibit and you didn't invite me?!?
ReplyDeleteA.) idk who you are because you signed it anonymous haha
DeleteB.) that was my bad, typo! It's DiVinci
That isn't nearly as cool...
Delete