What If?

What if God's plan is different from your preferences?  I think that phrase crystallizes the fears of many Christians.  We have an agenda, dreams, desires and plans.   We know what we want out of life and we know how we prefer to live that life.  The bible relates story after story of those whose lives were turned upside down by God and His calling.  We have been conditioned by society to feel that we are entitled - entitled to luxury, to entertainment, to a life of hedonism, to happiness, to a career, to retirement (see earlier post on this topic).  We know that the Word says that what we can expect are trials, persecution and pain.  Yet we also see joy, contentment, peace, blessing and prosperity in the Word.

So why are we afraid?  Ultimately it comes down to selfishness and greed.  We want to be in control of our lives.  We want it all and we want it now, as the saying goes.  We want to be safe, secure and comfortable.  We fear what God will ask of us - where He will send us.  We ignore the fact that those God uses, He also blesses (although not usually by the world's standards and not always in this life).  We lose sight of what is eternal and what is temporal.

In the end, we have to decide whether or not we are willing to be used by God and whether we are willing to answer His call.   The choice is ours - He never forces us.