Encounters with God's Will

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When something comes our way in life beyond our control, events, situations, what we perceive as misfortune or fortune, is it not God’s will for us in the larger plan, the creator context of it all?

What do you think?
 
When something comes our way in life beyond our control, events, situations, what we perceive as misfortune or fortune, is it not God’s will for us in the larger plan, the creator context of it all?

What do you think?
Romans 8:28 We know that in everything God works for good[a] with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.
 
I think The Lord is not like a hall monitor(remember those?) or a constant personal regulator. Which is why He gave us Free Will for determination and choices. I will equate it with a study hall with 60 students all yammering at the same time and all wanting to be heard at the same time LOL! At the same time, He will intervene through prayers or as He sees our needs. “Bad things happen to good people.”
Do ever wonder if the Lord just wants us all ‘to shut up and be quiet?’
 
Usually it’s not until I’m through a situation that I look forward and see how events were arranged to smooth a particular path. But when you’re in the middle of it, it’s much more difficult to see. And the patterns are so complicated, you could never have pulled all the strings into alignment yourself— and yet everything falls together just right.

I mostly notice it when I’m complacent about some aspect of life. I think, “I’m here already; I think I’ll just stay here.” And then events beyond our control happen that cause turmoil and discomfort— because that’s not the place for us; there’s a better place. But all we see in the middle of it are the turmoil and discomfort, but we don’t see the better place over the horizon.
 
Yes, though we may fail to see it as intended.

Rom 8:28
2Cor 4:17
 
Aren’t most of our acts of surrender pretty phony? When the real opportunities come our way we shun them, fear them, and pray that they go away.
 
Totally agree, Midori. Of course I am in the midst now. So I am reminding myself of what I committed to when I claimed to be a disciple of Jesus and when I venerate that cross.
 
It is all part of the 3 dynamics of spiritual growth: Purgation, Illumination, Union.
We often think of purgation as “giving up” things we like, especially vices. And see it as our “Dark Night”. But that is only practice for the bigger things, the bigger surrenders that truly transform us, though in what seems a painful way.

I know he is not Catholic or even Christian but I find the wisdom of Sri Aurobindo t o be the most helpful to me on this journey. He refers to “Equality” which is the same as equinimity, a Christia n virtue.

"The knot of the ego is loosened and the personal claim begins to disappear, we find that we are no longer bound to joy in things pleasant or sorrow over the unpleasant; we bear them without either eager acceptance or troubled rejection, refer them to the Master of our being, concern ourselves less and less with their personal result to us and hold only one thing of importance, to approach God, or to be in touch and tune with the universal and infinite Existence, or to be united with the Divine, his channel, instrument, servant, lover, rejoicing in him and in our relation with him and having no other object or cause of joy or sorrow.

“Here too there may be for some time a division between the lower mind of habitual emotions and the higher psychical mind of love and self-giving, but eventually the former yields, changes, transforms itself, is swallowed up in the love, joy, delight of the Divine and has no other interests or attractions. Then all within is the equal peace and bliss of that union, the one silent bliss that passes understanding, the peace that abides untouched by the solicitation of lower things in the depths of our spiritual existence.” P. 714.

file:///C:/Users/pmayo/Documents/My%20Documents/Personal/Yoga/23-24TheSynthesisofYoga.pdf
 
+JMJ+

Actually this is the reason why Christians should have invincible joy and peace.
The fool, that is, the sinner, is as changeable as the moon, which today waxes and tomorrow wanes; today he laughs, tomorrow he cries; today he is meek as a lamb, tomorrow cross as a bear. Why?

Because his peace of mind depends on the prosperity or the adversity he meets; he changes with the changes in the things that happen to him. The just man is like the sun, constant in his serenity, no matter what betides him. His calmness of soul is founded on his union with the will of God; hence he enjoys unruffled peace.

This is the peace promised by the angel of the Nativity: “And on earth, peace to men of good will.” Who are these “men of good will” if not those whose wills are united to the infinitely good and perfect will of God?

St Alphonsus de Liguori, Uniformity With God’s WIll
 
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