BLUE-PRINT or BRUSH/PAINT/CANVAS...

Erwin McManus writes in "Chasing Daylight" that maybe our focus shouldn't be so much on "What is God's will for my life?" than "How can I give my life to fulfill God's will?" This birthed in me some new thoughts, new questions, new insights.

Many books have been written that make a distinction between God's "allowable" will and His "perfect" will. The object of every Christian's life is to try and find God's perfect will for his/her life. God's "allowable" will is His portrayed as his second best for you. The quest for the Christian is then to seek for God's perfect will/ plan for His life. The metaphor that is used is that of a blue-print. I think that it comes from good intention and a genuine longing to please God. I do however think, that this line of thinking has bad consequences - that we make the will of God so complicated that most Christians live with the "guilt" that they do not take the time and effort to discover God's will. We abdicate our responsibility, privilede and opportunity to seek God's Kingdom in our lives. Our thoughts and words about God plays out in how we live life. The idea of God's perfect will then feels like something that is an absolute, and that we merely are chess pieces that is moved. It portrays a picture of entrapment more than of freedom.

I think that when God gives us the gift of life, it comes with a brush, paint and a canvass. God gives us the freedom to choose how to paint our lives, and it will please Him if our heart is then to seek how we can live out his kingdom in our choices. We have made so much of right and wrong, without considering what is good or bad, or even good and better?

Say for example you are in your final year of school and you have to decide what occupation to choose. In BLUE-PRINT fashion, you will then ask what does God want you to become? Does He want me to become a dentist or a teacher? In this line of thinking there is just one right answer, equal to God's perfect will for my life....

In CANVAS fashion, maybe it will not so much be a question of what is right or what is wrong for my life. I think you can choose either and then go on a journey of discovery as to how I can fulfill God's will through the choices I make. The questions now are just as important: what is the motivation behind my decision? Is it for the promise of riches, status, etc? And furthermore - when it comes to my passions, my talents, my skills - what would be a better fit for me?

Living the Kingdom gives me freedom to make my own choices, but also offers me the opportunity to engage my life in establishing the Kingdom - regardless of where I am...

And now, may we learn to paint....