Hi Tossolul,
I think the thing you may be having problems with is that we can’t understand God’s unconditional love for us. He doesn’t just know what we will do but he loves every one of us so much and wants us to make the right decision. I liked the McDonalds analogy but here is one I think comes just a wee bit closer. As a mom, I think I know what is right for my kids, but of course they need to grow up and make decisions for themselves. So one of them comes to me and says, “Mom, can I go to Chris’s party?” I say to that child, “Do you really think that is a wise thing to do? Last time he had a party the police had to break up a fight.” I know the answer should be No way in heck are you going to the party, but I want my child to use their reasoning skills to make the right decision. So my child says, “Chris’s parents will be there the whole time mom.” And I reply with, "Will they be in the same room as the kids or will they be in the bedroom the whole time. Kid looks at me with the “I am so busted” look and says, “well not in the bedroom the whole time.” So I reply, “Son, you are old enough to understand that some of Chris’s friends will tke advantage of his mom and dad not being around aren’t you? Do you really want to be there if there is going to be trouble?” He looks a me and says, “I guess not” Later he calls Chris and says, “Man, I can’t come over to your party, I have to work in the morning.” I overhear this and I am so happy he made the right choice. Could I have just said No?..of course I could, but what would the kid learn about making good choices? God is like the parent, he loves us unconditionally, but we have to choose him, we have to make those good decisions, so he lets us even though he knows what we are going to do. I knew my son wouldn’t go to that party, because I taught him to make reasonable decisions. Yes we have the free will to choose or not choose God in our lives. Yes we can choose to do stupid things and learn the hard way. That’s what it really is…Do we learn to make good choices from the good ones we make or the bad ones? I tend to believe the answer is both. How many times have we said, “OMG! That could have been me?” By making the right decisions we are confirming to God that we love and respect him, that we have learned to make those hard decisions, and that we are able to reason out the consequences of our decisions and take responsibility for them. A bit like growing up huh?
