"We" are not that powerful?

[anytimequilter]

I have been struggling a bit with something and so I am wondering if any of you have thoughts on the issue.

We have all heard that God has a plan for our lives. And we know that we all have free will - so seems like many of us will most likely not find God’s plan for our lives

Sometimes I wonder if what I feel lacking in my life is my own fault - - well of course it is I know - - but as I wonder about my mistakes and failings… what I did and what I didn’t do I wonder have I gone beyond recovering?

Then someone will say “you are not that powerful - you can’t stop God from his plan for your life”

Isn’t our free will enough? I mean aren’t there tons of people in the world - murderers, rapists, thieves and any number of examples…

I am not the extreme example, but I wonder if I have somehow closed the door on something that God had intended for me??

Anyone else ever think of these things?

 

[Mary_Estelle]

Why would God create us and then close the door on us? Only “we” can close the door through the misuse and misunderstanding of free will. A door can be opened as well as closed. It swings both ways. I think you should do a study on free will as we tend to use the term rather loosely at time. And you may actually be following God’s plan for you as you investigate the truthfulness of “free will.” Peace.

P. S. I challenge you to study and deduce as to what free will is, then return and give your understanding of the “subject.”

 

[anytimequilter]

thank you for your reply

Only “we” can close the door through the misuse and misunderstanding of free will.

I believe you restated the point that I tried to make - perhaps I didn’t express myself very well

I have run across all types of people in my life and there are a good number of them who have had problems that they have minimal control over so they “leave it to God’s will” to correct. So they believe that God’s will applies in every situation… we just have to give it time and God will work it out for us.

Then I am in the camp where I pray to God, but want to row to shore. Meaning that I trust in God but realize he gave me free will and I am expected to work out my problems.

There was a time in my life where God was hammering me with information and situations - yes I believe God put me in those situations to learn and he provided me with information to help me make decisions… but it was up to me to do something with that information. My free will had to get things moving. Some things are easier to decide than others… so that is where the concern of misunderstanding or misusing my free will would come into play - - taking that from your post

I think you should do a study on free will as we tend to use the term rather loosely at time. And you may actually be following God’s plan for you as you investigate the truthfulness of “free will.” Peace.

I am willing to do this, however; if I had a good resource to study up on this I would have already done so. Do you have suggested reading or links?

 

[Mintaka]

The great Georgette Heyer doesn’t have much to say about religion, but one of her 1930’s characters once noted that whenever people announce they are now “God-controlled… Good Works go out the window.” Resignation or agreement with God’s will doesn’t mean that we should do nothing and expect to get everything handed to us.

We Catholics aren’t supposed to believe that God will save or damn people against their free will decisions. We also aren’t supposed to believe that God’s Providence will go against people’s free will decisions, or that it will require no active or even passive response by us.

God is not the autopilot mechanism in a plane. He wants to be our co-pilot; He is happy if we let him be the actual pilot; but we have to sit our butts in one of the seats if we want to go anywhere with Him.

Every so often, God will swoop in and do things for us. That’s not the standard mode of operations, and it’s supposed to be for times when we truly have no way of helping ourselves or others.

 

[Contarini]

I have been struggling a bit with something and so I am wondering if any of you have thoughts on the issue.

We have all heard that God has a plan for our lives. And we know that we all have free will - so seems like many of us will most likely not find God’s plan for our lives

Sometimes I wonder if what I feel lacking in my life is my own fault - - well of course it is I know - - but as I wonder about my mistakes and failings… what I did and what I didn’t do I wonder have I gone beyond recovering?

Then someone will say “you are not that powerful - you can’t stop God from his plan for your life”

Isn’t our free will enough? I mean aren’t there tons of people in the world - murderers, rapists, thieves and any number of examples…

I am not the extreme example, but I wonder if I have somehow closed the door on something that God had intended for me??

Anyone else ever think of these things?

Yes, I agree that this statement is a bit misleading.

Your deliberate, stubborn choice to reject God is powerful enough to separate you from God.

But nothing else is.

Your faults and failings and errors and confusions, all the powers of earth and hell attacking you and weakening you and driving you off course–none of those things are powerful enough.

You can only be separated from God if you really, really want to be.

Edwin