I haven't written the conclusion to my blog for a couple of days. I will do that today. I am working through several thoughts and trying to reconcile them in living in this daily life. I know that I suffer from a spiritual myopothy, or near-sightedness that makes me want to think of God's will only as it effects me (or you guys) and not in general. I have had a new old song in my head all week and it is just this "Open my eyes and let me see, Glimpses of truth those hast for me, Place in my hand that wonderful key, That shall unclasp and set me free. So, based on these thoughts here is the conclusion of my blog on "God's Will". I should entitle this one "God's will, Our Responsibility".
"This, brings up a whole other matter, and confusing issue: Is it God's work or my work? God's responsibility or mine? I think each of us has a strong tendency to attempt to wrestle control from the Spirit and "do" this life on our own. We tend to switch from living the gospel of grace to trusting in a system of works. It's hard to truly depend on sustenance and guidance from the Spirit rather than merely on our own wisdom and effort. If we never responded to God, if we never acted based on what He has done for us, there wouldn't be much of a relationship there. God is still real and moving, but at some point we have to respond and act because of what God's done. Like yeast and flour are both necessary to bread, both God's action and our response=action are necessary in this relationship with God. Like many things in life, there really isn't a sew-it-all-up solution. And I love that. God is big and mysterious enough that we cannot simply put a label on this process and move on. It requires continual engagement and wrestling and discovering how to live a Spirit-filled life today. Not 10 years from now. Not tomorrow. But right now, in the particular time and place God has put you."
I was reminded last night about how my relationship with God works. Your dad and I were in bed and of course the lights were out. (We couldn't see) I said goodnight and I got no response. Your dad's back was to me and he did not have his hearing aids in. So I turned toward him, touched him and said again, "Goodnight". His response was to turn to me, kiss me, and say "Goodnight". And that is how it is with God. He touches me, opens my eyes and ears, and I still have the chose to respond. Sometimes it is a whisper, sometimes a shout, sometimes it is just a gesture. But that is a relationship. Something we can all relate to. And this is just a thought from mom.........