Choice
Lately I've been thinking about choices a lot... the power of them... and also the privilege of them. Its an area of controversy I admit, I don't pretend I have all the answers... but let me intro this a bit:
I often hear people attribute circumstances, situations, relationships and all sorts of things to God. As a Christian myself - I have a firm belief that God exists and is an active part of our world. The question surrounding the controversy then is - how active is God's will versus our own choice?
The extreme positions on either side are both unbiblical:
1. We are simply God's puppets (1 Chron 21:10 for one example)
2. We are the sole creators of our fate (Prov 19:20)
I think at times I've erred by drifting towards either above positions... which leads me to problems:
1. If I'm a puppet, then I can absolve myself of any and all responsibility. God had arranged it that way... God did this... hence sayings like "she must be the one"... haha.
2. If I'm the sole creator of my fate - well then I don't have faith to look for God's work in the world - I only see a web of human choices. Human choices are ultimately sinful too - so this view doesn't allow room for God's redemption in our world.
But there are strengths and things to be said for these two positions too:
1. Bono said "The more you know, the less you believe". Jesus also tells us that a childlike faith is important. Perhaps we need to attribute more things to God - yes we make choices but God is orchestrating all of them in the beautiful symphony of His universe...
2. There positions strikes me as realistic and truthful, but probably because it suits my temperment. I think we should have a healthy perspective of what our choices are, and their effects. I really like the quote: "Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny." We do a lot of things and make a lot of choices without knowing it, we should know that we reap the results of those decisions, although God can and often does redeem them in some way.
Ah to find balance...
On a more personal note, I have but 17 days left before I leave for Austria. Its been a ride... part of me feels like I've only come back home (got back Sept 22) and I'm already leaving again. I'm off to www.schlossmittersill.org. I'll be doing computer/music stuff while hopefully auditing some courses. I'm quite excited, but also sad to be leaving family and friends... my home. I guess I made a choice... or did I? :P
3 comments:
I doubt that we were God's puppets during the fall of man... that God intended for Adam to eat the fruit... But I'm sure He saw it coming.
I believe that God has a plan for each and everyone of our lives, but we are given the choice to accept that destiny. We all have the capacity for great good and great evil.
It's not to say that God doesn't try to influence our choices, but there are a million other factors that tug at us too.
Janet's gonna teach me some racket sports. Isn't that wicked?
i spent some intensive time going through Romans 9 once upon a time. human free-will and God's predestination is played out daily through all sorts of circumstances - essentially whenever a decision or choice has to be made, whatever degree. educational statistics say that a teacher makes 3000 non-trivial (whatever that means) decisions per day!
anyway, perhaps the ultimate non-trivial choice moment is the choosing of Christ as Lord and Saviour of our lives. in this sacred clash, there is both divine election and human free-will. Paul addresses this in Romans 9. it's a heavy chapter. i remember telling a friend that i was going to preach Romans 9 and he kept saying: "you got NINE!?! you got NINE?!?"
Paul is climbing a theological mountain in Romans 1-11. at the end of 11, he erupts into a hymn-song. that's all he can do. the view of God from the top was so glorious and awesome. i think that's the stance we should have whenever we look at this issue of God's sovereignty and human free-will. simple awe and wonder.
and by God's Spirit, we'll assume this awestruck stance the next time we have to make a decision.
Hmm maybe there is just a plain mysteriousness about it all, a balance between the views that I can't understand.
I'm not sure if I'm sure God has that plan/destiny that we then choose to follow or not. Was God's plan for Jonah to go to Nineveh right away? Or perhaps he was interacting with Jonah, and knew that he would run but still planned it out that way? So it wasn't even that God's plan was for Jonah to go straight to Nineveh, but the whale way of getting was The Plan? I dunno...
If I follow that view, then perhaps God is more like a conductor of an orchestra that we're all a part of. He knows how I play, my style, where I'm at right now, so He'll use that. Of course these analogies are hard to hammer out - because this conductor knows what will happen too... oww.. head hurting...
Awesome to hear all of your thoughts.
Neil - cool! I think Janet was into squash awhile back when I had talked to her. Also saw your flickr pictures of ultimate - looks like you guys had a blast!
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