Free Will?

And God stepped out on space, and He looked around and said,"I'm lonely --I'll make me a world."

And far as the eye of God could see, darkness covered everything, blacker than a hundred midnights down in a cypress swamp.

Then God smiled,And the light broke,And the darkness rolled up on one side, And the light stood shining on the other, And God said, "That's good!"

These are the first few line of the poem, "The Creation" by James Weldon Johnson. They are an artistic interpretation of the first book of Genesis which begins, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen 1:1)


The poem ends with the creation of man: Up from the bed of the river, God scooped the clay; And by the bank of the river, He kneeled Him down; And there the great God Almighty Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky, Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night, Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand; This Great God, Like a mammy bending over her baby, Kneeled down in the dust toiling over a lump of clay till He shaped it in His own image;

Then into it He blew the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

Genesis 1:26-28 says it this way:
26.Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27.So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28.Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

In the five creation days that preceed the creation of people, God created all sorts of lovely, obedient creatures and objects - none of which were given the gift of free will and all of which do exactly as God commands without being asked and without questioning why.

I believe, we humans, sometimes confuse the privilege of free will with the right to tell God what to do.

My friend on Facebook who's name mirrors mine, Jae Tracie, says that God gives us children so we can have some idea of how much He loves us. I believe we also have children so God can show us how much we try Him.


Have you ever had a child to tell you "No"? That they weren't going to do something you explicitly told them to do? Or have you ever made a "suggestion" to your child that was in his/her best interest and have them decide not to listen to the suggestion? I know I have some "old school" parents who are reading this thinking - not in my house!


I know in my rearing, there was no way that I could have gotten away with a tenth of the things my children get away with. Well, I say that; the truth is - I wouldn't have been bold enough to find out.


And although, I know I'm opening myself up for a public flogging by writing this - there have been times that not only have my children not listened to my "suggestions," there have been times when they flat out told me what to do. "Mama you need to . . . ."


Imagine my indignation. Imagine the look on my face. Imagine the "seething anger." Imagine that I'm fighting the urge, at that point, to completely explode - struggling to remember that this person is still a child and although they should, they may not know better - or they may have forgotten the chain of command.


Do we sometimes forget the chain of command?


Do we sometimes say, "God you need to . . . "


Especially when we are upset, frustrated, angry, tired, feeling rejected, feeling forgotten, feeling mislead . . . ."God you need to make this stop." "God you need to interject." "God you need to make me feel better."


Who are we to tell God what God should do? How dare we?


Am I suggesting that we should not question God? Of course not. Even Jesus questioned God. But what we cannot do - is TELL God what to do - TELL God what is best for us -TELL God what decisions to make on our behalf . . . no more than our children can (or should) do that with us.


We have free will so that we can have a hand in our own rearing process. We are presented with options every minute of our lives - to do the right thing or the wrong thing; to take a road that leads to Heaven or a road that leads to Hell. God has already given us all the instructions we need and it's up to us to decide to follow them - to follow Him.


Either road has a set of consequences. Sometimes God speaks to us in Big Mama's voice, "I can show you better than I can tell you." And it's usually in these time, though not always, when we've found ourselves in a bad spot at the result of a bad choice that we want to look at God and tell God what God should do to get us out of it.


How dare we!

Let's start by taking our gift of free will more seriously. Let's look at the opportunity to decide - rather than be decided for - as a blessing. Let's chose the thing that's "right." Let's go out of our way to make God proud of us, to prove that we can be trusted to make decisions for ourselves. And when we mess up - because sometimes we do - let's not blame God. Let's not be upset when we are grounded or sent to our room or beat with the 'stension cord. And let's certainly not shout back at God what God should do.

Almost

This morning, someone tried to change lanes without looking and almost hit my car. It upset me, and although I was alone in the car, I said aloud, "He almost hit me!"

As soon as I said it - immediately - the Holy Spirit said to me, "So what?"

So what if he almost hit me? The important thing is - he didn't. We spend a lot of energy on "almost."

I almost lost my job. I almost died. I almost won the game. I almost got divorced. I almost married my high school sweetheart.

So what? Those things didn't happen. So why are they worth the energy that we direct to them? How much further along would we all be right now if we hadn't gotten stuck on the things that "almost" happened?

"For I dare not speak of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed . . ." (Romans 15:8) Equally applicable, one of my favorite Bible quotes, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue . . ." (Proverbs 18:21)

It didn't happen. Don't give it breath. When we give it breath, we give it life.

We are the benefactors of God's grace. In those "almost" moments, there is an opportunity to embrace and give God glory for the thing that DID happen. Even if, from our perspective, the thing that almost happened was something we wish HAD happened. Perhaps we should be grateful for what we learned as we prepared for the job we almost got, or the test we almost passed, or the race we almost won. It didn't happen, so what? The old adage says, "If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger." We are sometimes, somehow, stronger for the things that "almost" happened.

Aren't we fortunate that God doesn't hold our "almost" moments against us? For all those times we almost lied, almost fornicated, almost committed adultery, almost drank ourselves silly, almost hurt someone, almost did the complete opposite of what we were asked to do - but didn't - Thank God!

Thank God that the glory is not in the trial or tribulation, but in the victory. Thank God for second chances and for foresight and hindsight; for free will and moments when clearer heads prevail. Thank God. Thank God for intervening on our behalf in those "almost" moments when we couldn't have saved ourselves. And for Angels - those we see and those we don't - who act on our behalf.

I know it's hard to ask us to remove the word almost from our vocabulary. So for the time being, I'll ask us to work on not dwelling there. Celebrate your "almost" moments and see them for the victory that they are.

Where We Are

"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again: though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everything and in all things I have both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillippians 4: 10-13

For I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content . . . These words haunt me. I am discontent. Perhaps I am alone in this, but I doubt it.

I want more than I have. While I surely have more than I've had, I still want more.

I have a great marriage. I want it to be better. I have a nice home, I want a larger one. I drive a nice car - that I dinged on the garage door - I want a newer one. I have a good job. I want a great career. I have good children - all factors considered. I want them to be great.

I have a good relationship with God. I want to live completely in God's will for my life.

So now what?

Can I want all these things and still remain - like Paul - content in where I am?

Paul's statement about contentment was not a conclusive one. He does not suggest that because he is content, that he will remain in that state. He goes on to say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

So, no matter at what state he currently exist, he knows he can survive it because Christ stengthens him. We hear that last statement a lot in church. We repeat it. We stake our lives as Christians on it - but do we believe it? Do we surrender to it?

Paul says he can do all things. Not just some things or a few things, but all things.

If that is the case, and we believe it is the case - then the discontentment that I'm facing is my own fault.

John 10:10, another often repeated scripture, tells us that Jesus came so that we might have life and have it "more abundantly." Perhaps it is this promise of abundance that makes contentment so difficult to imagine. If we are, indeed, going to have life and have it more abundantly then why be content where we are?

The two ideas are connected by the statement, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." In the moments when we have less than we desire for ourselves (which for me is almost always), we can find comfort and rest knowing that no matter where we are, Jesus is there too. And if He is there, there is nothing to stop us from pushing forward.

My husband has a reminder that comes up on his phone - PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens. As long as I am PUSHing toward the abundance that I was promised, then "where I am" shouldn't bother me. I should be just as content when I have little as when I have much.

And I know that is easier said than done. I know this because even as I write this - I wonder whom I'm trying to convince, you or me. I type this sermon from my head and I know it's serving as a pep talk to myself. I remind myself that "where I am" is not a bad place. And that even if it were a bad place - it wouldn't always be bad. I remind myself to PUSH and that unless I am PUSHing, I might always be where I am. I remind myself that all things - ev, er, y thing is possible through Christ who strengthens me.

I'll challenge you not to take my word for it. Try PUSHing and see what happens.