The Will of My Father
Each person was created for one purpose and one purpose only, to do the will of his Father. Now I'm sure there are a great many people who really don't believe this is the case because if they did they'd have to do something about it. For those of us who do believe we have one eternal purpose...to do God's will, the question becomes, "what is God's purpose or will for me, and how do I figure that out?" For non-believers this question is moot, they live their lives acquiring what they can, or making ends meet but at the end of the day when lying in bed those last few moments before falling asleep they reflect backwards. As Christians we are expected to live in the present, not lamenting over the past or worrying about the future, but instead we are to do the best with what we have right now. I believe the will of our Father can be found in these present moments, the now moments of our life. "What is God asking of me right now?" Maybe it is to drive a sick friend to the doctor, maybe it is to help a struggling family, or maybe it is to make someone laugh or feel happy. All of these things add up to our Father's will.
God wants us to be happy, not the kind of happiness we feel when we do something nice for someone and we feel all proud inside, and not the kind of happiness we feel when we win the lottery either. He wants to give us "internal" happiness and that can only be found by doing His will.
When I was first invited to go to El Salvador I was VERY hesitant because I had never even heard of that country before let alone had any desire to visit it! I would have rather gone to Italy or Las Vegas or the Bahamas, but nooooooo I had to be asked to go to El Salvador. I went, and when I came home I realized what God's will was for me. I was only able to figure that out becaue I said yes to a question that was asked of me in that moment. Had I ignored that moment I would be a completely different person today.
A few days ago I met a friend who I went to Catholic grade school with 30 years ago. I had not heard his name or seen him in that many years. By some strange business chance we decided to have a cup of coffee to learn more about each other's marketing careers, as it turned out we spent that hour talking about our faith life instead. It was an amazing conversation! He was getting so upset and frustrated with the church and he told me how he wrote a letter to his pastor insisting that they re-think what they are doing and try to make some sensible changes! After he told me all about his letter I realized the true reason for our meeting was not work related at all but it was God's divine intervention. I said to my friend, "so what did the pastor do?" He said, "nothing yet." "And I'm quite sure he won't either," I replied. "Why not," said my friend? "Because YOU have to be the change you want to see...nobody else is going to do it if you're not willing to," I said.
This is true. Our divine will is in our face every single day calling out to us loud and clear, in the people we come across, opportunities that present themselves, and in our own hearts. We just need to RECOGNIZE the Father in our every moment. My friend wrote me the next day and said "thank you for lighting that fire under me...I needed to hear what you had to say!" I'm glad I was able to do God's will at that moment, but the fire came from the Holy Spirit, not me!
Who is God putting before you right NOW to help you do His will??
God wants us to be happy, not the kind of happiness we feel when we do something nice for someone and we feel all proud inside, and not the kind of happiness we feel when we win the lottery either. He wants to give us "internal" happiness and that can only be found by doing His will.
When I was first invited to go to El Salvador I was VERY hesitant because I had never even heard of that country before let alone had any desire to visit it! I would have rather gone to Italy or Las Vegas or the Bahamas, but nooooooo I had to be asked to go to El Salvador. I went, and when I came home I realized what God's will was for me. I was only able to figure that out becaue I said yes to a question that was asked of me in that moment. Had I ignored that moment I would be a completely different person today.
A few days ago I met a friend who I went to Catholic grade school with 30 years ago. I had not heard his name or seen him in that many years. By some strange business chance we decided to have a cup of coffee to learn more about each other's marketing careers, as it turned out we spent that hour talking about our faith life instead. It was an amazing conversation! He was getting so upset and frustrated with the church and he told me how he wrote a letter to his pastor insisting that they re-think what they are doing and try to make some sensible changes! After he told me all about his letter I realized the true reason for our meeting was not work related at all but it was God's divine intervention. I said to my friend, "so what did the pastor do?" He said, "nothing yet." "And I'm quite sure he won't either," I replied. "Why not," said my friend? "Because YOU have to be the change you want to see...nobody else is going to do it if you're not willing to," I said.
This is true. Our divine will is in our face every single day calling out to us loud and clear, in the people we come across, opportunities that present themselves, and in our own hearts. We just need to RECOGNIZE the Father in our every moment. My friend wrote me the next day and said "thank you for lighting that fire under me...I needed to hear what you had to say!" I'm glad I was able to do God's will at that moment, but the fire came from the Holy Spirit, not me!
Who is God putting before you right NOW to help you do His will??
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