I watched a teenage child move out of the family home the other day; she said she was old enough to fend for herself. I laughed, because it reminded me of my own experience when I moved out of my parents’ home as a teenager. At that time, I felt I was man enough to run my affairs but not very long after I moved out, I crashed as if a pack of cards and realized life was not as I thought.
Many times, we make decisions we think are best for us, and not in one moment considering the overall consequence, which may affect our entire family and future. We think in isolation without grasping the whole picture and understanding that we are all linked in this giant golden chain of humankind, that the hurried decisions we make today are the pitfalls of our tomorrow.
Most times, in avoiding responsibilities, we develop concepts that circumvent acceptance of the consequences of our actions. We may choose to blame fate, God, or some other universal concepts, but the stark reality remains that we are responsible for our actions and our actions today shape our tomorrow.
Blaming God for our misfortune is almost natural with most people; after all, God cannot speak for himself. However, is God responsible for those silly mistakes we deliberately make? For instance if we really work hard and eventually succeeded in our quests either in education, business or some career pursuits, should we say God made it possible as opposed to the lazy man who refused to develop himself and spend days binging on sitcoms and movies? At what point should we say God is responsible for our circumstance.
I think we choose our path in life by the actions we take. Not going to school means you have chosen an alternative path in life, which may or may not lead you to success. To be hard working define you as positioning yourself for success; to be diligent and self-directed says a lot about your intention of making a successful path in life. All these choices has nothing to do with God, they are personal choices, so if you end up doing well in life, that means you made choices that served you well.
What about those who have implemented the above-mentioned factors, yet failed in life, how would you explain that? I do not know. It is just like asking why an innocent child has a terminal disease. I think it has to do with our soul path. We choose paths that take us through particular route that leads to our soul’s growth.
Have you ever had a bad experience and you just could not fathom why. However, on hindsight you realize those experiences were pivotal to your current success story. Some experiences we go through open us up for growth. They could be painful and sometimes catastrophic, but at the long run, they serve a good purpose. We may not have consciously chosen these paths but on the subconscious level we did, we desired them because they are necessary for the evolution of our soul.
There are no favorites with God, You do not bribe God with gifts or offering to make him change his mind or make him do what he is not willing to do. Our thoughts and desire for good align with his desires and good intentions for us, just as he reminds us in Jeremiah 29 verse 11 that “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (NIV). However, we must understand that we have a role to play, for God does not use idle hands, rather people who are willing and ready to be his arms and feet. Therefore, whatever choices you make today, define the future you will either enjoy or regret. So choose wisely.