My Willing And His Will
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness…” (Luke 4:1)
I get the “W’s” confused. In this later part of my life, when I have the potential for large blocks of unscheduled time, I’m often approached with requests to help, be hired, or develop a new idea. The danger is confusing my willingness with God’s will—or, to put it another way, assuming that if an opportunity comes my way, it must be the will of God.
It seems that if we enjoy doing something, if it sounds intriguing enough, or if it is profitable, we decide God must be involved in it. Like the young man who approached an attractive young woman from the church and told her that God had revealed to him that they were to get married. Her classic response was, “Great! When God reveals the same thing to me, we’ll do it.”
However, the will of God is not always a positive, uplifting experience…in the short term. Jesus was led into the wilderness. It wasn’t like going away to church camp for a week or beginning a scenic vacation amongst the Redwoods. He was led by the Spirit to face the temptations of the Deceiver, who has a talent for making bad decisions look like opportunities.
In the same way, the journey to the Cross was following God’s will. It was a passage that was punctuated with pain, suffering, death, and heartache in order to open the way for eternal benefits.
I’ve had to wrestle with the truth that God’s will does not always look like a stock market opportunity. Discerning its authorship is not always clear, which is often an indication in itself. The Deceiver is a great fabricator. There are clarifying questions that help me figure out whether the originator is the Almighty or the Impostor.
- Does the opportunity match my skill set? I’m good with words but have a hard time figuring out math (Dad Pun!). That talent and weakness is a guiding factor.
- Will I be able to have a positive impact on those I’m working with?
- Are my trusted friends shaking their heads or encouraging me?
- How will it affect my closest relationships (spouse, kids, etc.)?
- Will it affect me in detrimental ways, such as health, spiritual, and mental fatigue?
- Will God be glorified by it?
- If I was able to look back on it ten years from now, would I smile or cringe?
- Am I sensing God saying yes, no, or not yet?
- Am I being asked to do this because I’m a warm body or because others see me as the solution?
There are probably other questions that you would add to the list, but those are most of mine. Some days, I remind myself that I’m supposed to be retired, but more often than not, I think about all the experiences I now have that God could be leading me to use.
Besides the moans and groans in the joints, growing older is not a negative. In many ways, like a picked peach, I’m just ripening.
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