Let me be blunt (again): I don't understand the over-spiritualization in North America. To clarify: I don't mean that I believe there are things related to spirituality and things unrelated to spirituality. I mean that we talk about things in a hyped-up manner, using what we call spiritual terms in a manner not found in the Bible.
Side note: I blame this on the so-called Second Great Awakening, my go-to scapegoat for all spiritual things wrong in the United States.
Side note 2: This over-spiritualization somehow combines with and emerged from a prevailing Deist view and value system in the foundations of our country.
To wit: talk about God's will typically abrogates our lack of responsibility, smoothes over our egos, and undergirds our desires. For example, we say, "I'll get that promotion if it's God's will." I don't mean to take away from God's sovereignty or his personal and intimate interaction in his creation, but let's be honest here. We may not get that promotion because we drink in the gossip at the water cooler or because we turn in reports late or because we fail to work with excellence. Or we may not get that promotion because someone else is better for the job. (Our egos can take rejection better when it's God's will. To take this more personally, if I'm called to write, I can better accept the numerous rejections.) Or we say, "It's God will that I move to Hawaii" or leave such-and-such ministry/job/relationship. Let me also say here that this doesn't necessarily negate the legitimacy of moving to Hawaii or leaving a certain ministry/job/relationship. But who can argue our decision when it's God's will?
But that's not why I'm here today. I've blogged about calling before and about wisdom here, here, here, and here (the series back at the Tapestry blog). Today, I want to externally process some thoughts about balancing ideas of God's calling, human responsibility, and God's divine intervention. By externally process, I mean, please addend your thoughts. (Note, at this point in time, I won't reference the verses from which I glean my thoughts, but I'd be happy to in the comments if someone has questions. Also, some of these may overlap, but I included them for the nuances.) With that in mind . . .
We act
- in God's grace
- in prayer
- with wisdom
- in service to God
- for his glory
- with love for our neighbor
- in freedom
- as his image bearers
- creatively
- in accordance to God's desires for the world and humanity as revealed in Scripture
- doing the good works God has prepared for us
- with the gifts, talents and resources he's given us
- with responsibility to our fellow man and to the earth
- despite and in our circumstances
- as we are transformed and becoming more like Christ (and seeking to have the mind of Christ)
- trusting God to use everything for our good and to his purpose
- displaying the fruit of the Spirit
- with faith, hope and love
- in the power of the Holy Spirit, depending on him
- and knowing we can't control the outcome but trusting that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
I think you said it very well. The tendency of our church culture has definitely swung toward over-dramatization. I suppose, on a grand scale, over-dramatization is generally better than being silent and not every acknowledging God, but still, over-dramatization is an issue that mostly stems from the ego.
It's an intriguing dialogue going on here!! I hope that I'm not missing the point in the mini-essay that follows ...
It seems to me that there is something grossly wrong with the way "God's will" is used in the Christian vernacular of our day. It is used presumptuously, e.g., "X didn't happen, so not-X must not have been God's will."
Oh puh-leeze. Pass the barf bag.
As has been discussed, this ain't necessarily so. Maybe X didn't happen because I dropped the ball. Maybe X didn't happen because someone else dropped the ball. Maybe X didn't happen because a butterfly in South America flapped its wings last week.
I think there is also some general confusion between God's will vs. God's plan/purpose for (i.e., for a person, etc.). It seems that in Scipture, God's will is painted in broader strokes: e.g., His will is that we would do justice, love mercy, love our neighbor, etc. It seems that the how of it (provided it is not something overtly unethical or sinful) largely falls in the area of Christian freedom. Maybe the distinction means nothing to some, but I happen to believe that words matter.
We do have to make choices. We do have to act. And we do bear responsibility for our actions and our choices. These are acts of our wills. But I don't want to minimize the idea that God may have a particular purpose, design, or "call" (if I can use that word) for a person that relates to an area of giftedness or some other purpose. God may (and does) assert His will concerning His children toward very specifc ends. There are many examples in Scripture where God's plans and purposes for a person are clear and specific: Jonah is meant to preach repentance and salvation to the Ninevites. Paul is meant to preach the good news to the Gentiles. Mary is meant to be the mother of Christ. Moses is meant to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
I think that there is a lot of choice that falls within the scope of our freedom (and consequently, our responsibility -- thinking of the parable of the talents). I agree that there is some of God giving us a lot of room in which to do whatever it is we choose to do (I like to think of it as playing in a really, really big sandbox). A lot of it might be us acting with what He has already given. But He can interject. God might not actively inspire every story, but this does not necessarily mean that He does not inspire stories. Maybe not all who write are "called" to the task, but it does not necessarily follow then that because that not all are called, that none are called.
[[Aside: I also think that oftentimes we depend too much on possessing clarity -- the proverbial "flashing neon sign" -- before acting as a way of not exercising the faith and ruthless trust that we're commanded to exercise.]]
But I also think that God is God and I am not -- I can write, play, photograph, and work within some fairly broad boundaries. But God can also assert His will inside those boundaries -- He can act and direct me toward a particular purpose without making me a slave or raping my will. Maybe that thing that changed my direction is just something that happened. And maybe that thing that happened is Him getting me to go where I need to go. Ultimately, whatever the source of it, He can work all things together for good and work all things toward *His* purpose.
And hopefully this doesn't land me squarely in the middle of the hyper-spiritualized crowd who would use "God's will" as a way of filling in the gaps of knowledge and responsibility.
I agree with what you're saying. I do believe God calls some to be teachers, others to be evangelists, etc (sorry--I don't remember the exact order of the Ephesians passage). But even in that passage, those are generalities. It doesn't say God calls some to be a pastor in this specific church. I don't mean to say that he doesn't do that either. As you pointed out, Jonah had a pretty specific calling, but that is the exception rather than the rule. Paul, even with his calling of church-planting among the Gentiles only talks once of when God guided him to or away from a specific place. Other than that, he acts with freedom.
I think (1) there's something to what you say about our presumptions about clarity (and our unwillingness to act until we have clarity) and (2) how often God's will seems to change (and often with our desires, oddly enough). And that is where I take issue.
I think probably most often, God gives us freedom to choose locales and ministries and jobs and recreations and, yes, even spouses (is there the one? I don't know that I'd argue that; I don't see biblical evidence for that) as long as we keep in mind the things I listed above. And I think within this, there are times when God has something specific for us, but that's probably the exception. And I think that always, always, always, God is acting and intervening bringing about his will through us. (I'd also note that he's acting, bringing about his will through us when we disobey as well. My disobedience may rob me of joy in participating in God's plan and it may make things miserable for those around me, but his plan doesn't depend on me.)
Good thoughts here, Kirsten. Thank you for helping to clarify.
I am always thankful for the fact that the fate of the universe, nor the fulfillment of God's plan, depends on me getting it right. We'd be in a real mess, for sure.
Thanks for the good discussion. :o)C
OOPS ... I mean "does NOT depend ..."
Oy vey. That'll teach me to post blog comments in the BC (Before Coffee) hours of the morning. ;o)
I haven't ready Culture Making yet, but Andy spoke at the Glen this summer and I was impressed by some of the same things. It's definitely in the mental "to read" pile.
Tanya, I'm with you, too. It bothers me when people don't act. It also bothers me when people feel like they are more justified in pursuing something because they've been "called by God" than I am because I "just" chose it. Writing is a huge place where this is true for me. I don't feel especially called to write. I feel like writing is something that I can (and do!) choose because I love it and I can honor God through it. I've had conversations that basically reduce to someone telling me, "Well, that's all well and good, but my writing is going to actually succeed because God told me to do it."
There's so much hurt and harm done because of these sorts of misconceptions. Our choices matter, so very much.
In the end, I love God more because he is willing to pull back and bless my efforts to honor him than I think I would if it was all his agenda, all the time. I feel more like the daughter he says I am than the slave he says I'm not. That's the God I want to serve!
I was thinking about you and this topic on Sunday in church. My pastor was talking about receiving big dreams from God and acting on them. Overall, not a bad sermon, but I kept wondering how many people would be paralyzed by it, unable to act because they weren't sure if their dream was their own or God's. I realize this is a different tack than you're taking above, but I thought I'd throw it in the mix--over-spiritualizing these things means that no one can argue with us and that our egos stand up to rejection better, but it can also mean that we stand still when we could be walking forward.
If God made us to act in this world, provided those actions do the things you listed above, and we don't act because we're waiting for the word from on high, it seems like we're not doing God's will in a way that's rather ironically akin to the way people are afraid they won't do God's will if they DO act.
Wow, that sounds convoluted even to me . . . though somehow I'm finding that this is becoming rather a soapbox of mine.
That's exactly how I feel. As Tanya said, we sit around waiting for God's will be done, failing to recognize that he accomplishes his will through humans. And often, people who throw around "God's will" are often fickle.
Your pastor sounds like he read Wide Awake by Erwin McManus.
And have you read Culture Making by Andy Crouch yet? I'm finally getting around to it, and love it. One of the things that struck me was his point that in the Garden, God pulled back in order to give humans the freedom to act and create. He came and walked with them in the cool of the day, but it doesn't say he was constantly present in that way.
This resonates loudly with me. I've been quite frustrated with many who sit on their behinds and wait for "God's will to be done" or who fail to accept any personal responsibility in less than ideal situations. AMEN and AMEN to all you've posted here!
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