Trying to Do God's Will Is Still Doing God's Will
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"Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” —Luke 22:42
Anyone trying to discern God’s will in their life, on decisions large and small, has come across a problem. In the majority of our experience the answers don’t fall out of the sky. They take consistent prayer, sometimes weeks or months or even longer. Sometimes we are rewarded with a sign for our diligence. Sometimes we are given a small answer that directs us to the next step. But sometimes we don’t seem to receive an answer at all.
This is no less pronounced when discerning your vocation, if you should seek a new career opportunity, or which school to attend. When faced with silence and a decision to make, it always begs the question, “Did I just do God’s will or my own?”
The answer, perhaps, may lie in simply trying to do God’s will.
Try like a child: imperfectly
On a base level there’s something inherently funny about watching “little adults” try to eat a cake or hit a teeball- and failing, or trying in an imperfect and comical way. Like the toddler in this video who just can’t seem to kick the ball properly, we know instinctively as adults that we are no less equipped to “kick the ball” in more sophisticated tasks. (The television series America’s Funniest Home Videos has been playing to this instinct for nearly 30 years now!)
But there’s something endearing about the struggle, isn’t there?
There’s some very simple yet practical wisdom offered by the father in this video to the frustrated toddler: “Just kick it.” Like the father to his struggling toddler, our Heavenly Father wants to teach us to do His will, even though we will most likely do so imperfectly.
If you don't try, then you won't do God's will.
There’s a reason God gave us a free will, an intellect, and a heart. He gave us these faculties to conform our will to His.
As C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, “Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else.” When faced with silence and a decision to make, trying helps us learn to become a “little Christ.”
Fr. Mike Schmitz quotes these words from something he had once read:
“When it comes to trying to figure out God’s will in our lives, a lot of times, we don’t necessarily want to do God’s will as much as we want the relief from the responsibility of having to make a decision for ourselves. [Because] a lot of times what God is counting on us to do is making the decision ourselves, unless God has actually stepped out and said ‘this is what I want you to do.’ Then it seems like in a lot of ways he says, ‘Ok just choose.’”
But all too often, like the little toddler in the video, we run around with the ball in our hands and are too hesitant to just try. Will mistakes be made? You bet. But what’s the alternative? We don’t do God’s will at all.
This is not to diminish the importance of prayerful action, but if there is no action at all there is no participation in God’s will.
Chess helped me understand this
A couple of years ago, I had a big decision to make: should I get my Master’s degree or not? There were a lot of uncertainties to face. Would it even help my career? How much is it going to cost? Will any of the schools I have to choose from be recognizable by an employer? And how can I juggle all of this while still working full time?
Then my experience playing chess came to mind. You contemplate. You make your move. Then you reflect. Thinking of my decisions like a game of chess helped me when there was just too much uncertainty.
Here are three simple steps you can take when faced with that same uncertainty:
1. Pray: Start by contemplating on Jesus as your center. Allow for silence. Invite Him in and the Holy Spirit to guide your heart. When questions emerge search the internet for relevant Bible quotes and read that passage. Lectio Divina is a great way to guide you.
2. Make your move: This doesn’t need to be absolute. But decide on one step that you can take and then make your move.
3. Reflect: Look back on your decision. Was it morally good or bad? What were your intentions when making that decision? Did you see any “fruit” produced from that decision? Lessons learned? Then take these reflections back to step one and repeat.
You don’t have to do God’s will perfectly. Unless you have the spiritual gift of prophecy, you probably can’t. But in trying imperfectly you can take solace knowing that God is with you, guiding you every step of the way. It is in the experience of trying that we learn the most. And that is how we become a bit more like “little Christs.”
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