Freedom (Continued from Aug. 21)

I hope that you all have wrestled with this thought a little more during the last couple of days. I value the comments that were made and some very good points were brought up. The following are my thoughts on the matter.

Why is it, that God gives us this freedom to make our own decisions?

God has given us the freedom to follow and love Him, or go our own way. We say, by our very nature, “I’m the Captain of my own life. I am going to do things my way!” This is the choice we have and often make.

So if there is good and bad, right and wrong, or God’s way and our Way. Why did God leave it up to chance weather or not we might follow? Why didn’t He create us to love Him without question, kind of like a robot?

I believe that God knows how much more powerful it is that someone chooses to love you rather than being forced to love you. I have seen that this is an important part of relationships and He is all about relationships, not some perfectly structured being that has no feelings or choices.
In reference to my decision about the job offer in my recent blog, I think the issue that made it so difficult was the waiting to make a decision or having the time to do so. It is a difficult thing to wait on somebody but I think it is what we do during the waiting that is most important. Could it be that God uses these times of waiting and thinking to build and strengthen our relationship with Him. I think so.

I would pray about my situation and say, “ God I want you to be Captain of my life,” but the next morning it felt like God wasn’t the Captain anymore because he gave control back to me, so I could give it back to Him, thus entering into an exchange that only strengthens a relationship.
Take for example the ordinary life experience of a road trip with a friend. You drive 100 miles to a destination and on your way home your car breaks down 30 miles from any town. You call for a tow truck but you are going to have to wait at least an hour. What an awesome opportunity to build a relationship with a friend while waiting. This could be looked at as a blessing for God.
During these times God wants us to wait, trust, and have faith that He loves us. Which is all part of a having a relationship.

I want freedom! The freedom to choose to love God causes love to become more abundant and real. When we choose to love, a relationship is the most important thing. We desire just to spend time with the one we love.

I am now looking forward to learn more as I try different ways to relate and spend time with God in these times of waiting. These exchanges are what God is all about and that is why He gives us the freedom to make our own decisions.

-Matt