First things first, credit where it's due: Like most of my supposedly clever or original thoughts, the title of this article is not even my own. Maybe I just have an ear for life's bumper stickers. The phrase is from a song by Imagine Dragons, but I couldn't find a better way to introduce the thought than with these words. And it's not really a grounded thought so much as a question, the answer to which continually eludes me. So I guess these musings will have to serve.
Please pardon my ramblings as I wax philosophical for just a minute. When a child is at play and something doesn't go his way, he is likely to complain. "Mommy, I can't go outside and play because it's raining." "Daddy, I don't want to go over to Sam's house because he doesn't have many toys." In response to these, a typical parental response would be to tell the child that he can't have everything his way, and that it's up to him to make the best of the situation. "You can't decide what happens in life, but you CAN choose how to respond to it." Sound advice, right? I'd agree.
Now consider this. A woman is going through a dark season of struggle. Possibly she's lost a loved one or her family is being torn apart for reasons she cannot even begin to understand. Life seems to be spiraling downward, out of control, and no matter how hard she prays or how closely she clings to her faith, she can do nothing to change her circumstances. She is being strengthened and refined through this fire, and the central theme most commonly taught is to "Let Go and Let God." He is the one in control as she learns to trust in His perfect plan for her life.
Let me be clear: I'm not attempting to advocate either of these particular viewpoints; I'm simply stating what I have observed. And what I've come to see is that these truths, taught to us from such an early age and so seamlessly intertwined, are fundamentally very DIFFERENT. You'll notice I didn't say MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. In the first case the main thrust is that I am the one responsible, and in the second case it is God. So which is it? Barring opening up Pandora's Box to a full-fledged debate on free will (my goal is not to stoke that fire), I think it is important for us to recognize the subtleties of the messages we sometimes send without questioning their sources. This is especially the case when the messages, as well-intentioned as they may be, contradict one another.
I realize that I’m tip-toeing across some pretty hallowed ground, and to mine its greatest treasures would require more tools than my own rusty shovel and pick-axe. God seems to illuminate just enough for me to take the next step (hardly even that, sometimes), so to scratch the surface of how exactly those steps are governed is enough to send the mind reeling. Yet not all ground must be shaky. God's hand is guiding, and He is much more than an abstract force reigning thunder for some remote corner of the universe. He is living, loving, and active in the lives of each of His creatures, and joyful obedience is my natural response to such undeserved affection. On this truth, at least, I can rest.
Hopefully that is enough of the nuts and bolts—for now.
