God’s will
Do you ever watch a movie so many times that you can recite it? What’s funny about this phenomenon is that I’ll watch movies that I absolutely know and still sit on the edge of my seat. For example, I recently watched Rumor Has It for the second time. Granted, it’s not a movie I know very well but I know what happens in the movie. I wanted Jennifer Aniston’s character to admit that she was in love with her fiancé. It takes her several days in order for her do admit this but she had to sleep with another guy in order to find this out.
Being a former screenwriter, I’ve often wondered what would have happened if she admitted to her fiancé that she had doubts in the beginning of the movie. Of course, it wouldn’t have made a good movie but that’s not the point. But I think we all do this. How often have you thought about how different your life would have turned out if you did something differently.
The amazing (perhaps confusing) thing about these choices is that dispite what we decide to do, it is all within the plan and will of God. He knows what’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen, and why it will happen. We’re not usually privy to this information.
Most people ask how this allows for the free will of man. If God has everything planned, does that mean everything is predestined? If so, does that mean that it doesn’t matter what we do? Does God care? Should we care? Is there a point to life if everything has been decided for us?
The answer to this question is difficult and even the answer will force more questions. The answer is also incredibly complex since the human concept of time is so primative. I’m going to try my best to answer these questions.
I believe that as humans, we’re confined to the concept of linear time. God, however, sees time in three-dimensions. Consider this illustration: if time is a line, God would be the paper that the line is drawn on. God has planned for every contingency. In fact, God has a plan A and there is no plan B.
But as human beings, we cannot see time this way. We see choices and alternatives. Given that God has a perfect plan, we must then assume that there is nothing that man can do to outplan God’s will. Nothing surprises God and he is always prepared.