At church this morning, the theme was God having a plan for people’s
lives. That message somewhat took me aback. Why? It’s standard
Christian fare, isn’t it? I think the reason is that I am a bit
skeptical these days.
I can understand my pastor thinking that God had a plan for his
life. He looks back, and, even though there were disappointments,
things turned out all right for him. He wanted to be a minister but
could not go to seminary, so he went to a business college. There, he
met the woman who would become his wife. After his wife died, he heard
sermons that got him through the mourning process. He was preaching in
various churches, and opportunities opened up for him. I’ve sometimes
wondered: suppose I gave my pastor one of my atheistic books. Would
that shatter his faith, as encountering other perspectives has shattered
the faith of so many pastors? I doubt that it would. He looks back at
his life, and he believes that God has taken care of him.
In my case, I have disappointments and regrets, and I am still
waiting to see if God will bring forth good. Deep down, there is a part
of me that believes that God will lead me to a job so that I can store
up money and eventually pay off my student loans (as I do my part and
look for the job, of course). I have to have hope! Do I believe that
God has a foreordained plan for my life? Well, I’m a bit skeptical
about that, but I will continue to pour out my needs before God, hoping
God will lead me to something.