If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times:
God has a wonderful plan for your life.
Tell this to a grieving mother standing beside a gaping grave dug for her child. Tell it to a man who can’t keep the voices away, who longs to be normal but can’t will his mind to function properly. Tell it to a woman who was raped. Tell it to a child while he is being cut into pieces and suctioned from his mother’s womb.
I understand the sentiment behind what we are saying when we use this phrase. But, my friends, look around you. A great many people live lives full of sorrow, tragedy, horror, pain, and abuse.
Where is God in all this? the seeker will ask. What does God have to do with the pain and the sorrow in this world?
Why, everything.
He sees, He cares, He knows, and, yes, His will reigns supreme. This world is broken. We are broken people. God told us this would be so. He never promised a wonderful life. In fact, He promised hardship. Jesus said the poor will be blessed. But, He didn’t say He would end poverty. He said those who mourn will be comforted. But, He never promised that mourning wouldn’t be part of our lives.
Life is hard, even when you’re a Christian. Even when you try to love God with all your heart, bad things will happen. Terrible things will come. And, this is the danger in telling each other God has a wonderful plan for your life. Because there are just too many moments and hours and days and weeks that don’t feel like a wonderful plan. They feel like an awful plan. They feel like a devastating plan. And, in those moments, the wonderful life idea just rings hollow. It makes us mad at God. It makes us resent Him and it leads us to believe that He was lying when He said, I have a wonderful plan for your life.
Only He never said that. We have confused something well-meaning Christians have repeated millions of times with something that God actually promised. Yes, someone has been lying to you, but it’s not God.
Here’s the truth of the matter: If you are a Christian, God has a wonderful plan for your eternity. Jesus promised that He is getting some pretty amazing (dare I say wonderful) stuff ready for you in Heaven. And, He is coming back to Earth to do a whole new wonderful thing someday.
God has a plan for your life on earth, too. But, it’s not for a 100% wonderful existence. That was the garden of Eden. Times have changed. Our lives on earth will be trying, difficult, sometimes tragic, sometimes almost unbearable, often sprinkled with lots of great times, truly amazing and awe-inspiring experiences, and love. And all of these things, good and bad, bring glory to God, can help us know Him more, can bring us to our knees, can take us sailing to heights we’ve never known before. The human existence is a roller coaster of fear, doubt, happiness, pain, fun, beauty, anger, grace, mercy, anguish, and brokenness. God gives wonderful moments. But, this life isn’t always wonderful.
Learn to be okay with that. Learn that God does what He does for reasons you can’t always see or understand. Learn to believe that God is good, even when the un-wonderful of life creeps in.
This life is only one stitch in the infinite and intricate fabric of eternity. There is so much wonderful waiting for us in that forever. Until then, God loves you, and He has a plan for your life. Whatever it is, don’t lose faith when wonderful seems miles away. Even when the circumstances of life aren’t wonderful, our God still is.
Lloyd Clanahan
Let us rejoice in Gods plan. There is a reason for all things.
Melissa
Amen, let it be!
Lamar Rogers
That was good reading until you said; “And all of these things, good and bad, bring glory to God”. I can’t see where starving children or a child being raped or abused brings glory to God; or someone entering a school classroom and gunning them down! We do need to be realistic and not try to justify bad things with what we want to believe, It’s really hard to find God in anything in this world. We can experience God’s love and have that great joy and peace within but that doesn’t change reality. We in America are blessed but yet there is so much bad around us. Can you see God’s hand in the terrible tornadoes, hurricanes or earthquakes? I have experienced my Father’s love and have great expectations and excitement for the next world which will be the one filled with His LOVE and presence. Until then, we’ll have to make the best of this imperfect planet and all the sin and wickedness in it. Jesus himself experienced the evil treatment that so many of us face here on this earth.
I’m 77 years old and have seen a lot in my time!
Melissa
Hi, Lamar! Thanks for commenting! I agree that it is a broken world we live in. But, I fully believe that God brings Himself glory in ways that we can’t imagine or understand. And, even if you aren’t familiar with the many, many scriptures that point to the fact that God controls the weather, I’m sure you are familiar with the story of Jesus calming the storm. You can see there that He can certainly stop a storm if He so chooses. So, we can only conclude that He does what He does with His purposes in mind. After all, His ways are higher than ours. That being said, I have the utmost respect for your years of experience and have no doubt that you know lots of things that I don’t. 🙂
Don S
Lamar and Melissa, I believe that Romans 9 (esp. v. 17-24) teaches that God is glorified when he punishes evil, and much evil we see will go unpunished until the Judgment. So I believe God is not glorified by school shootings and the like, but instead He allows them at least in part because his future judgment of these evils will bring Him glory. Likewise, He allows natural disasters because we live in a Fallen and (justly) Cursed world and He will be glorified when He removes the Curse at Christ’s return.
Lamar Rogers
Look at it this way Don S. I have children and grandchildren. I would never allow someone to torture, rape and kill one of them just so I could be honored and glorified when I tortured and killed the culprit who did the awful deed. I could never have loved my parents if they were glory seekers as we portray our FATHER to be in that He plans all the awful things that we see around us. Life on this earth is what we make it using our God given wills to sin and do evil deeds or not to. We must endure this until we enter His domain where LOVE reigns. All the sorrows of this life will soon be forgotten and then we’ll forever love and praise our Father for His amazing Grace!!! I also believe we’ll be in a more forgiving mood of the ones who were not as fortunate as we are and are having to pay for the evil they did in their life on earth. I do not believe God is the glory seeking, angry and vengeful God as portrayed by some of the writers of the bible! We are expected to be loving and forgiving as Jesus was. God Himself may be shedding tears to see the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into!
homeskoolmom
Lamar, I respectfully disagree with you. God glorifies himself through the bad things that happen because sin entered the world through one man. I have seen people brought to Christ through the death of a child, (that glorifies God). I have seen young widows/widowers that have glorified God through the death of their spouse. Walking in faith and trusting in the Lord through their mourning. Do you remember Todd Beamer? Cassie Bernall? (Columbine) Gracia Burnham? God was glorified in each of these situations. My brother in law’s family was hit by the tornadoes in OK city a few months ago (they lost everything BUT their house and it had significant damage) God was glorified in that it brought people together to help them from all over the place. People showed up to work at their place for weeks on end. All of the debris was cleaned up in record time. If God wasn’t glorified in that, who was? Who else would orchestrate 100’s of volunteers to work together to help all those families devastated by this natural disaster? Several years ago, my husband was laid off, we ate, we paid every bill and we even paid off loans during that year. God was glorified through that trial because He took care of us. You mentioned Jesus experiencing the “evil treatment” YES! and he was glorified through the pain of the cross! And not only that but the “evil treatment” brought his death and resurrection and gives us the ultimate glory of eternity in heaven for those who believe in Him. In fact, without his death, (and resurrection) we would have NO hope at all! Please forgive me, but I’m having a hard time understanding how you could NOT see the glory of God in the things you mentioned.
reidldavis
I choose to rely on the fact that we have limited understanding and are limited creatures. We know that God is good, because the Bible says so. We also know that God is sovereign over all, because the Bible also teaches this. Your perspective negates the second in favor of the first (and you are hardly the first to do this) — saying that if God is good, then the evil that is perpetuated is not God’s doing. And what’s more, that He is, in some sense, powerless to stop it. (If He is sovereign, then nothing can happen without Him allowing it.) And if He is not powerless to stop it — if He allows it, then He must not be good.
I realize sovereignty and goodness are almost impossible to reconcile this side of heaven, given all of the evils in this world we are burdened with (and I write this having gotten the news that the 20-year-old daughter of a friend of mine has just been diagnosed with a brain tumor.) Yet I find the prospect of a world where God is NOT sovereign over evil, where He is powerless to do anything about it, far more chilling than the mystery that somehow all of this glorifies God. Every now and then it’s probably a good idea to go back and read the book of Job and truly wrestle with what the Bible teaches, rather than rest in our limited rationalizations.
Marvin Kline
Amen: either God is not in control or God is not good. Of course there is a third alterative: God as we have created God, does not exist.
Lamar Rogers
Marvin, I think your last statement is the right answer. Even the most wonderful and loving Christians can have beliefs about our Father that I don’t believe are correct. He gave us a “will” to do as we please; even rebelling against Him and His advise on how to live our lives on this earth. He is not in His heavens controlling or trying to control our lives down here against our wills, in my opinion. He created us to be the objects of His LOVE. He desires our love in return. Let’s be realists here and look forward to the next life that will be the real one for us. Yes God is GOOD!!! He is LOVE and I am blessed to know Him!!!
Chandler
Lamar, you said in one of your comments that you do not believe what the Bible says about God. With that statement, anything you have to say about God becomes invalid. The Bible is the infallible Word of God, inspired by Him, written by those He chose to do so. I am not trying to bring you down, but I am not sure how you can call yourself a Christian and not believe what the Bible says. It is not possible. I find myself agreeing with reidldavis on their points, and I would also challenge you to read the book of Job. I respect your many years of experience, but do not let that fool you into thinking you know everything, or even any more about the Bible than the next person. I would encourage you to pick up a study Bible. Anything that may help you understand that the WHOLE Bible is true.
Denton Holmgren
We are sinners, and we brought this on ourselves. Let us just thank the Lord that he has saved us and will bring us to a world that isn’t broken by our sin. We are the problem, not God. God is the fix to our problem, and that is great!
Jeff King
Lamar, I don’t think starving children, or a girl being raped bring glory to God. However, I think God uses these events, even though we might not always see or understand them, to glorify him. I’ve seen more people turn to Christ after a tragady, then after some wonderful event. The bottom line is you need to believe and have faith in what is to come, even in spite of what happens on earth, thanks to Adam and Eve. People that want everything to be perfect on earth, need to remember this IS earth. If everything was perfect, it would be called Hevean.
Nicole
“God will use all things for the good of those who love him.” That is scripture. There are powers of darkness in this world which is talked about in the Bible a ton. We have an enemy who “comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” What our enemy does to us and intends for evil, God will work for good. That doesn’t mean easy, it doesn’t mean fun. It means good. God brings joy and peace and hope. He IS love. Just because bad things happen, doesn’t mean God planned them or caused them. I DO believe God has an amazing plan for my life. That doesn’t mean I will live the plan he has for me. I’ll tell you what, though, I’ll lean on those promises day in and day out and rejoice as I see his word completed in my life. Don’t let the enemy fool you. God does have wonderful things in store.
Norma
God DOES have a wonderful plan for your life! This life is fleeting and won’t last forever, but we have been promised a life in abundance forever throughout eternity. Jesus came that we might have life and have it in abundance. Bad things do come our way, but He said,” He would never leave us or forsake us.” His promises are true. He has given us peace that passes all understanding, joy unspeakable and full of glory, Love of our great God that has been shed abroad In our hearts. He has also given us the ability to pray and intercede on behalf of the bad things we see and experience. He makes a way where there seems to be no way. Yes, bad things do happen in this evil world, but we have hope and by faith God will see us through. Each human life is important to Him.
Francisco
I say” God has wonderful plans for you” when I have experienced the hard times with victory in the end! Giving God all the glory. We are called to exhort, edify and encourage one another, never ceasing in doing so. If I can proclaim victory in someone’s life, who sees no hope in the hard times, I will do that. Jesus came with a sword to divide the truth, but he also taught us above all to love one another. If the seeker is asking than we can bring comfort in truth, and love. Threw al the trials I have been threw I have faith in knowing” God has wonderful plans for me”. Loving you all boldly in Jesus Christ.
Jeff Osborne
People who say “God has a wonderful plan for your life” are yielding to the deep human tendency of helping someone else focus on his or her SELF. From a God standpoint (and a “God’s-true-mission” standpoint), the phrase might be more pertinent to be stated as, “God has a wonderful plan for the world… and how does your life fit into it?” Let’s focus on God, as did the twelve Apostles, eleven of whom were martyred (seemingly, not a very good example of OUR DEFINITION of a “wonderful plan”). Are we really having the right perspective to be so focused on MY life’s plan?
Melissa
Thank you for your comment, Jeff! Good and true thoughts!
TD MW
God clearly tells us what we are to do in His word. Many still don’t see it. Love thy brother, thy sister. Turn away from worldly things. Love thy neighbor. The love of money is the root of all evil. That which you do unto the least of these you do unto Me. Jesus is the Son of Man. I know you not. Do the works of My Father. Judge not. Some are meant to see and some are not. Some will be taken before that time, some will not. God IS the collective consciousness of all men, together as One. (E Pluribus Unum – Out of many, One! United we stand, divided we fall!) Jesus IS the unconditional LOVE that every human being should have for every human being, One for Another. Jesus will only come back when that Love is realized, and all are finally One. Want to see His beautiful eyes? Look into each other’s eyes and be a part of the Light of the World. Shine it in every darkened corner and into every soul; even those you think unworthy. Don’t preach! Love!Leviticus is PROPHESY, not judgment and not directive. It’s saying this is what all will happen when you pollute my Earth with things that are worldly (man-made)! Since the meek shall inherit the Earth, it means that those who can’t speak up will take over governing, when the time is right. Those who believe they are the chosen ones will have a surprise if they are not living what God’s Word instructs! When people tell other people they’d better get ready and tell Jesus to “come on” they don’t understand that they may very well be part of what’s blocking it from happening! That is WHO God IS!
Scottie Mac
@TD MW
You are not close at all to the proper understanding of Who God is or Who Jesus is. Not within a million miles of what God’s Word says, despite peppering this otherwise secular humanist post with a catch phrase here and there.
Christina
God does have a wonderful plan for this world, AND for each of our lives. He knows us individually and nothing he does seems to be one dimensional (in my humble experience:) what I mean by this is He orchestrates the whole AND gives personal attention to us as individuals in the same stroke. Imagine an orchestra …. Yes the whole work of music He directs personally with his own hands… But also each individual instrument, with its own strengths, weaknesses and uniqueness is vital to that larger work. It is NOT self centered to acknowledge God in our life, and also to pray to ask for His personalized help and guidance so that we may play our part to the best of our ability, or even better, our ability amplified by the guidance of He who has the whole perspective, the big picture. God is real, He is not just a metaphor.
After all, we cannot develop our faith unless we have to rely on it. Faith is believing without seeing. (This is why it is said that we can see with eyes of faith.)
Fast and pray to know how best to play the part you’ve been given. Put some real effort into it.
Pray for ways that you can increase your own abilities.
Pray to have eyes that see and ears that can hear the music being orchestrated.
Pray unceasingly. Don’t give up. If you lack strength, beg for strength. If you lack understanding, pray for that. If you have trouble forgiving, turn to Him and receive (open your arms and accept) answers to your prayers.
On that day when I am judged, I hope it can be said, ” she didn’t get it all exactly right, but she never quit. No matter how many times she fell down, she always got back up and kept trying, kept searching until she found Me. The devil couldn’t keep her down, with her he could not prevail! Through hell and high water, she chose the side of The Lord. No matter the evil that came against her, though she tripped, stumbled, fell,….. skinned kneed and bruised she chose to reach out for My hand.”
Jesus descended below all things (to me that means he suffered every emotion and sorrow) so that He would know how to succor His children. So he could better care for us! He does know what we are going through, that is why it is said we are never alone. Wether or not we turn to him, he is there with us arms open ready to help. He will never force us to come to him but just know that He knows our pain… Even death, rape, hurricanes….
This life is like a school, and we are here to learn and be tested. We are here to prove ourselves….. Either one way or the other. There are those who prove themselves to be good, and there are those who prove themselves to be evil. He gives us this free agency to direct our lives and allows us to choose for ourselves who we will be. Our thoughts and actions will be evidence on that Great day. Will we prove ourselves as sons and daughters of God, or children of the devil?
Search for, ponder about, and pray to know what The Lord would have you do. Help yourself by turning to Him. Then, like Christ does, be there for others to help them when they stumble… Because you know what it’s like, and you know how wonderful it is to have someone reach out and help when getting up again feels so impossible. This is one of the ways you can be Christ-like. Be on His team, help Him do His work, which is the work of our Father : )
Roy Hartzler
Thanks. Good post. A similar statement I often see that I don’t think is true is, “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.” He will bring you through it alright, but you may be on the glory side by then. Many people have paid for their faith in Christ with their lives. Thanks for your post. Helps bring things back to reality.
Melissa
Thanks for this comment, Roy! It’s true, things don’t always “work out” the way they seem best to us. But, we can trust that God is working things out for good and to His glory.
Jenni
And if you look at the next verse, following what you’ve just quoted, you’ll see that the good and His glory is to make us more like Jesus. I’ve summed up those 2 verses like this recently:
God works all things together . . . to make us more like Jesus.
And working all things together doesn’t mean for fun or for nice or for wonderful or without pain or hardship. You are exactly right. But really, the things that make our lives really great–make us more like Jesus–are the truly difficult things we face, whether losing a pregnancy (like I have twice), losing a loved one, facing cancer, losing a job or a business or some other major loss. God grows us best when we can’t see the WHY, just the WHO.
And as He spoke to me several years ago when I was asking WHY–He doesn’t owe us an explanation; we just have to trust that because He’s God, there’s a reason we may never know or see. He does have everything under control, whether or not it looks like it to us.
Melissa
Sorry to hear about your lost babies. Jenni. I’ve been there. Thanks for your comment!!
ron obenchain
While there may be traces of the “God has a plan for your life” in the Bible, it certainly is not a major theme. A far more prevalent theme is that God has a purpose for the world; namely, that through his grace it will be blessed. And further that he is inviting us to join him in that great enterprise by finding ever more creative ways to love one another as he loves us. It is in doing so we will find our life’s great “purpose.” One other comment. As I read the scriptures, the only thing I learn for certain about the afterlife is that God will love me (and all of my fellow human beings) on the other side of death just as much as he loves me (and all of my fellow human beings) on this side. Other than that, heaven is a total mystery. One thought, though, regarding life in the hereafter that has always intrigued me is that I should not expect to be resting there while God is working night and day to “save” his beloved earth. There will be work to do.
Melissa
Thanks for this comment, Ron! God’s purposes may not always make sense to us or make us happy, but we can trust that He is good and that He’s doing good work.
Richard
I get where you are coming from, and while I agree with some of it, I feel you may have missed a very significant point here. The way you have presented this, may seem that it is God’s plan for us to suffer tragedy. I cannot reconcile that with a loving God who truly wants to bless His children. Are you saying that a child being raped is part of God’s plan?
Is there not another dimension to consider, that the world God created, has ‘powers and rulers’ of a different kind, and of a dark kind, since mankind handed himself over at the fall?
Is it not therefore the calling of sons and daughters of the Most High, to see the Kingdom of God on this earth, now that Christ has made a way?
I think this approach, while I do get where you are coming from, and I do see a ‘prosperity and self-focussed’ attitude being the reason for many misuderstanding God’s will, may be a pendulum swing in the wrong direction too…
Melissa
Hi, Richard. Thank you for your comment! While I do believe that God is sovereign over all things, He cannot be blamed for evil in the world, because evil is caused by sin. God doesn’t compel anyone to or make anyone sin, but I do believe that He is working even in those situations to bring about His greater plan.
Richard
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for the response.
On that note, then it may be inaccurate to say “God may not have a wonderful plan for your life”…. because that would denote that the ‘un-wonderful’ that we experience is His plan. I do agree that the whole “God has a wonderful plan” (meaning nothing bad is going to happen), is setting people up for hurt and disappointment, but I also believe that the opposite is true, that if we tell them it is God’s will for us to go through tragedy and hurt, then we will have an inaccurate understanding of Who God is….
I believe it is the tension in our minds that we have to learn to live with, of a loving, wonderful Father, who wants to love us and bless us, and the broken world that we live in, that will bring much pain and suffering….. and trying to live with an understanding that both of these are at play.
Yet again, I do see your point, but I therefore don’t think it is a theologically accurate statement to say God may not have a wonderful plan for our lives….
Melissa
Richard, I will certainly allow for my own error on this thinking. But, I believe that God reigns supreme over all, good and bad, and I don’t think there is ever a moment when something is spinning wildly out of His control. So, in that way, I tend to lean more toward believing that God does things that we cannot understand, but we can still trust that He is ruling the universe rightly and with goodness. I’ve heard it explained this way: even the bad in this life must sift through God’s fingers (think of Job–Satan asked God’s permission to destroy his family). And when the bad comes, we can trust that He was not surprised or His will over-ruled. For me it’s comforting to know that God is that powerful.
Susan McCurdy
I don’t believe it’s bad to say to an mature adult and then give an explanation for the “whole picture”. The problem comes when children grow up hearing it and keep waiting to be or do something great and wonderful. The great and wonderful plan may be a serving, helping place ….not some leader, some writer, some pastor or missionary, some singer that is known by “everyone”. This causes disillusionment in adulthood and people begin to think they have “missed their destiny.” Perhaps a definition of the words “great” and “wonderful” would be a good edition to the statement if one chooses to use it.
Melissa
Thanks for this comment, Susan! I agree–the WHOLE of God’s plan for humanity is wonderful, but in individual lives bad things are going to happen. So, we just need to be careful when we talk that way. I appreciate your thoughts!
Hannah Boland
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for this blog. The truth you put forward in this article is 100%. My only comment would be to tread a little carefully with statements such as “Learn to be okay with that. Learn that God does what He does for reasons you can’t always see or understand. Learn to believe that God is good, even when the un-wonderful of life creeps in.”
3 years ago I would have said exactly the same thing to myself and to others. But in those three years I have buried two full term babies, and they weren’t twins. I have experienced a depth of sorrow I never even thought was possible. I love Jesus with my whole heart and I am so grateful for the salvation I have with him and knowing that my babies are in his care. There is no doubt in my mind.
However when someone is in the midst of this deep, deep suffering, this truth about God can be a very tough one to yield to. Where is the God of comfort in those moments when everything is utterly shattered? Is our only hope and comfort to be in our salvation and the life to come? If so, why is the Holy Spirit referred to as the comforter?
I do think you are 100% right. But I also think you may ask a lot of people to just learn to be okay with that. When people are feeling okay and starting to get to a point with their grief that it is not consuming them, I think they can be okay with that. But please do not think less of people who simply cannot be okay with that in the midst of their grief. God still cares for them when they have that struggle and he understands they are finding it hard to be okay with that. He weeps with them.
I’ve written a book about some of these experiences in my story called 47 Hours with a Prince (you can download it free https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/364475) if you are interested.
I also have another book coming out next year called Superstitious Christianity – something very much in line with what this blog is about – debunking all the “fluff” we have added onto the Christian faith that is shallow and ultimately unhelpful. I would be really pleased if you would like to read a pre-published version of the book to give me some feedback. You are obviously a woman who understands how to get at the truth. Anyway, I’ll leave it with you.
Thanks for your writing.
In Him.
Hannah
http://www.47hourswithaprince.com
http://www.hannahboland.com.au
Melissa
Hi, Hannah,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. First, I am so very sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what that must be like. I would never, ever presume to dictate to someone how they should grieve. And, I agree that it is really difficult to get to a point where you can say, “I trust Him. I’m okay with what He wants to do.” We see Job get to that point when all he had was taken from Him and he said simply, “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.”
I had to come to that point myself during multiple miscarriages. And, I feel sure that there are some things that happen in this life that even very devoted Christians will never come to the point where they can say, “I’m okay with that.” And, I think God understands and can sympathize with us in our grief.
Your point is well taken.
And, I would love to read your book! Please email me for contact info if you would like to send me a copy!
Hannah Boland
Hi Melissa! Thanks for your response. The script is about 80% finished. I’ll email you with it when it’s ready for the pre-edit review. 🙂
Ryan Smith
So many people claim Jeremiah 29:11 (I know the plans I have for you…) as a promise to themselves when it was never intended to be. God told specific group of people in exile to remain there for 70 years. Everyone not in exile will be killed by sword, famine, and plague. Does this sound like an open promise to modern-day Americans (or anyone else)? Read the rest of the chapter people! Remember what Jesus’ response was when someone asked him who sinned that the Tower of Siloam fell on them (Luke 13)? Basically, “Life happens.”
The longer I live, the more I see that God’s existence does not revolve around making me happy. In fact, I’m starting to thin that the opposite may be true…
Melissa
Hi, Ryan! Thanks for your comment! In Matthew we read that God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. The fact is that some things happen that we can’t understand or make sense of. God wants us to live in joy and have spiritually abundant lives, (and that joy isn’t meant to be dependent on our circumstances–see Paul in prison), but through both the good and the bad we can grow in Christ and know Him more.
Thanks so much for reading!
Louise
God does have a wonderful plan for our lives; it says so in scripture, don’t mess with that (Jeremiah 29:11, to quote the most popular one). The bad stuff is what happens in the out working of that plan.
I’m not saying the things that happen are caused by the people who end up suffering.
Bad stuff happens because we live in a fallen world and because we don’t listen to God; some of us try to listen but none of us get it right 100% and there are people out there who either aren’t trying to listen to him or who are actually hell bent on doing the opposite.
People often blame God because they think he’s the one controlling everything; but he gave us freewill. It says in scripture that God desires that none shall perish, but Jesus himself said that many will enter the wide gate into destruction – how do you harmonise the two? Our choices can go against Gods desires.
Good stuff comes from God; that bad stuff doesn’t.
Melissa
Louise, thank you for your comment! I agree that God can’t be blamed for sin–He doesn’t compel people to sin. But, God knows what is going to happen, and He knows how it all fits into His plan for our lives and for the furthering of His kingdom. His plan is wonderful–how that plan plays out in individual lives is sometimes difficult. We can always trust His goodness, even in the midst of intense suffering. I believe that God is sovereign over all things, and it’s a comfort to me to know that.
Beth
This blog post truly gives me comfort…..thank you so much for writing it. Almost three years ago my husband of 19 years 5 months and1 day died in front of me without warning and leaving me with our three children (10,6 and 9 months). I have heard it all from…..”if you had been praying enough this would not have happened……God is good and he will bring you through this….there is a reason for everything…” The biggest feeling I get from most people is that they are so thankful they are not me ! My life went from a happy life with my first love to a nightmare in a matter of seconds. I struggle daily wondering why I had to watch a man I loved die in front of me. I wonder why my kids had to lose their sweet daddy……lots and lots of wondering why. Nearly three years out I can say that sorrow and joy can exist together. I have been blessed to remarry and have a husband who loves me and my three children. I am blessed with three wonderful kids who bring me joy and smiles daily. I try to keep an eternal perspective. Many times through this journey I have met people who I know were put in my life by God. It is still so hard not to go back to the original why…….you know ?? I am so thankful that someone shared your blog post with me. You have a new follower to your blog. Thank you for taking the time to write.
Melissa
Beth, this is an amazing and heartbreaking story! You are so right when you say that sorrow and joy can exist together. During some of the darkest times, God can teach us so much about His goodness and His comfort. Thank you so much for your comment!
Kate
I don’t believe that God has control of any of these things. I think he put us on this earth and we could live in harmony or let our bad side take over. In some instances evil won and as such there are bad people who do bad things, and sometimes you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Beth, your husband story is heartwrenching, but even with this I believe that our body is like a machine and sometimes it does fail us, again…sometimes bad luck is just that. I believe that is easier to hold onto rather then why god would allow a child be raped and murdered (or any of the bad things that happen) as part of a greater plan. I do not believe that at all or I would not believe in a God.
Melissa
Kate, thanks for your comment! I am coming from a different position: for me, it’s much easier to believe in an all-powerful God who is working things out for a purpose than in one who has no power to accomplish what He wills. I believe scripture backs me up on that. That being said, it’s true that our bodies fail us and terrible things happen as a result of sin in the world. God doesn’t make anyone sin. But, He does work through even sinful actions to bring about His plan.
Julie Davis (@onneutralgrnd)
I will come back and read this article tonight when I have time, but I just had to say: That is an awesome name for a blog. Way to go! : )
Melissa
🙂 Thanks, Julie!
Tatyane
Hi Jeff, your comment is pertinent when you are discussing general prophecies and plans God has for mankinr. But dont forget he is very personal and He cares for your own personal battle as well. Remember zaqueous(sorry i dont remember his name in English), but Jesus was very personal to him… and God’s mind is so powerful and so beyond our capacity to understand what His plans are. Anyways, just wanted to reply to your comment as it may seem that God is more interestee in the whole world and not us as our tiny silly problems but He does care and seeks a close relationship with us. Cheers and blessings
Nancy Anderson
Thanks so much for this article- it articulates so much of what I’ve wanted to say for a long time! As American Christians, we love to glibly quote Jeremiah 29:11, and say,”See? God has great plans for ME, to give me a hope and a future!” But I’ve noticed none of us are Jews going into 70 years of captivity in Babylon, so I don’t see how it applies. We like to cherry-pick the feel- good verses, and apply them to ourselves, whether they are promises to us or someone else. The Universal truth is that God is GOOD, and that all his intentions toward us are loving. And he promises to make all things work together for our good, if we love him and are called according to his purposes. But his idea of good has more to do with conforming us to the image of his son, the in making us comfortable. We sell people a lie, and then wonder why they fall away. God doesn’t need us to “market” him, to mAke him more attractive or palatable in some way. He is the great I AM, Maker of Heaven and Earth, and as such deserves our worship. Thank you for putting this “out there” and I pray The Lord will use it to lead people into a fuller understanding of the truth.
Melissa
Well said, Nancy! Thanks so much for your comment!
Timothy Moreland
Excellent comments, Nancy. I too believe Christians need clarification on Jeremiah 29:11. It is my understanding that this letter may have been received 5 years into captivity and it let them know that it will last 70 years. Most who heard this news and believed the prophet would realize they would die in Babylon far from their home. The “future and a hope” wasn’t to be personalized but to be understood as a group – as God’s chosen people. And so they were to plant their gardens and celebrate their weddings and worship a God who still loves them though their redemption, their greatest renewal and their new Jerusalem and new Temple would come after they had died.
Sound familiar? God has plans for us – a future and a hope.
Thy Kingdom come.
Julie Davis (@onneutralgrnd)
Melissa-
I often think people feel so awkward in painful situations. They want to show compassion to the person who’s hurting, but they just don’t know what to say. So often they say something dumb. Or glib. I haven’t faced tremendous loss, but I often reflect on the fact that those who have not only have to face the loss but the trite things we say. One answer is to simply just listen. To just be present. To pray quietly. To allow time and God’s wisdom to know when to speak and when to remain silent. The truth is God does have a wonderful plan and it’s our ultimate redemption, but on this side we’re groaning along with creation, to be set free.
Thanks for taking on this topic.
Melissa
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Julie!
Gigi
This phrase “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” was a huge part of my early growth as a Christian. My parents had divorced. War ensued between them. As a veteran of that war, I desperately wanted to believe there was a “wonderful plan.” My early years consisted of conforming outwardly to what I thought a Christian looked like. The inevitable implosion happened when I found myself pregnant and unmarried at 24 years old. God has busted up my myths and replaced them with truth over this journey. Somehow (read God’s grace) we have remained married for 22 years and have 3 amazing boys. I thank you for these words that make sense to me and put aright my idolatrous views of God.
Melissa
This is a great testimony. Thanks so much for sharing part of your story, Gigi!
Jessica
Thank you so much for the encouragement. My son went to Heaven 6 months ago, he was almost 5 years old. I found your post very helpful.
Melissa
Jessica, I’m so sorry to hear about your son. It thrills me to know that this post was an encouragement to you. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Liz Blalock
Melissa, Wonderful post! May God in His sovereign grace enable us to live between the now and the not yet with our eyes fixed on Him as we eagerly await His glorious appearing.
Melissa
Thank you, Liz! I appreciate your comment!
Kim Walker
Everything about Him is wonderful…the good, the bad, the ugly, and pretty He has planned for my life. It’s all wonderful. Sorry this blogger hasn’t experienced the fullness of the Lord!
Melissa
Hi, Kim! Thanks for your comment. I think that you and I perfectly agree (except for the part where you question my relationship with God :-)). I wonder if you read my entire post?
godschildshari
Hi Melissa, I may be incorrect in my understanding, but I think that many well-meaning Christians who tell someone who is suffering that “God has a plan for their life” are actually basing that phrase on a scripture that has been taken out of context:
Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Those words were spoken by the prophet Jeremiah (as God directed him) and were written to and for the Israelites who had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. It is a very common error (one that often has harmful results) to take scripture out of the context of what God intended.
Yes, God does have an ultimate plan for humankind. He sent His son Jesus so that we would have hope for a future:
Joh 10:10b I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
And while we can experience wonderful things in this life, we do have an enemy, the devil, who is bent on destroying us:
Joh 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy.
The apostle Paul tells us of some of the things that he had to endure:
2Co 11:23-27 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as beside myself,) I am more! I have been in labors more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in prisons more, in deaths many times. Five times from the Jews I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the deep. I have been in travels often; in dangers from waters; in dangers from robbers; in dangers from my race; in dangers from the heathen; in dangers in the city; in dangers in the wilderness; in dangers on the sea; in dangers among false brothers. I have been in hardship and toil; often in watchings; in hunger and thirst; often in fastings; in cold and nakedness;
Rather than everything being “rosey”, we are told, in many scriptures, that in this life, we will suffer many things. BUT (big but) we are also told that we have a hope, not only of help to get us through the hardships of this life, but a hope for a life of joy eternal when Christ comes again.
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.!
God bless. 🙂
gigimuses
I’ve read through some of these comments and want to offer this quote by Anne Lamott from her new book “Stitches.” She says: “God could do anything God wanted, heal and create through weather or visions or the ever popular tongues of fire, but instead chooses us to be the way, to help, to share, to draw close… if these is a God, He or She does not need [people], but instead chooses people. What a crazy system.”
And later, “The world is always going to be dangerous, and people get badly banged up, but how can there be more meaning than helping one another stand up in a wind and stay warm?”
In this bizarre and dangerous tapestry we call life, God chooses for us to bear His image and to love and comfort in a world we can’t begin to understand. Losses of children and husbands, sexual abuse, fires and earthquakes: to me the gospel is that His goodness continues to shine through in all of that. And we learn to lean on each other and not destroy one another with our words.
Donna Newton
True. Thank you.
Natalie Lenoir
God isn’t a man that He should lie.
There are many things missing here.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV)
Daphne
Thanks for the encouraging post . The Lord knows all if only I can rest in that when trials overwhelms me.
Michelle
When we consider that the root word of “wonderful” is “wonder”, then everyone has a wonderful life! This road is full of wonder – some of it bitterly painful and some of it full of glorious surprise – but no matter, the fact that we are even able to read this is full of wonder! All events that have conspired, good and bad, to bring you to this moment – a gift from a Lord who loves us more deeply that we can begin to understand… And that is by definition, truly WONDERFUL!
keith
whenever i say something like this people think i have no faith or a death wish. well said.
Sarah
I believe God is glorified when we overcome things that we have been through and give Him praise in our circumstance and become successful in spite of what was done to us.
Sarahah
What is the alternative to saying that, though? Why does the word wonderful need to mean happy? A Believer’s life IS wonderful in the truest sense of the word. We will be “full of wonder” to see God’s hand because His hand is directly involved in every aspect. He doesn’t just sit by fretting or grieving when hard and horrible things happen. He is still in control and is completely sovereign, reigning as King of Kings even though we don’t understand. He is always working out wonderful things for His glory and for His children even though we might not see it this side of eternity. So, yes, I will keep telling my daughter that God has a wonderful plan for her life. It is going to bring Him glory, and I pray it will be for her ultimate good (if she accepts Him as Savior it will, most definitely be).
So, I get what you are saying, but I think we can still use that phrase and use it well. We want our children to know that even though things will be hard, their life truly can be wonderful both now and even more so in eternity. This life is not all pain, and God doesn’t want us to live joyless, miserable lives while here on earth with only a dull, head knowledge of the truth to come. Christ came that we might have joy and that we might have it more abundantly! He wants us to know Him, to know His wonderful peace, to know His wonderful comfort promised by the Spirit, to know His wonderful wisdom through His Word, to enjoy His wonderful gifts that He gives only in this life, and the wonderful gift of eternal life that we can start enjoying even now. Yes, I think God does have a wonderful plan for our life now and our eternity!
Greta
God DOES have a wonderful plan for each of our lives. He says that in Jeremiah 29:11. But we humans have free will and we sin against each other and sin ourselves. Poverty, abortion, hunger, slavery, accidents and even natural disasters are NOT God’s doing. He allows us to make choices and those choices have far-reaching consequences–like Adam and Eve’s decision to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (then came the sin nature and the curse on the earth). The fact that God lets us reap and sow doesn’t change the fact that HE DOES have wonderful plans for all of us. But we also make choices. And He loves us enough to be willing to use even our sin for good if we allow him to.
Most parents want good for their children but our children may make decisions we wouldn’t make for them, decisions that may hurt them. That doesn’t all of a sudden mean we parents don’t want good for them because they made bad choices. It means they have free will amd love allows choices.
Bill Mcgee
I like where your blog started but the conclusion does not sit well with me. If we believe that God made us with free will then we must also believe that the outcome of human future rests (at least some of it) squarely in our hands. Look at this passage: 1Sa 15:11 I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions. Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.
It seems to me that God did not want Saul to do the things that he did. The outcome was not as He expected. Why? Because of Saul. Look at 2 Kings Chapter 3. You will see 3 Kings going to fight Moab. They will get out in the desert and run out of water. They will question God regarding their circumstances. They will ask Elijah to see what God’s will is. Through Elijah, God will promise (prophecy) that they will destroy all the fortified cities of Moab. God provides them with the water. Moab comes out to fight them. The 3 kings defeat them and begin destroying the cities. They have them all destroyed but one. The one where the King of Moab was. You see the King brought his son out on the wall and killed him. At the end of the chapter you read, “The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.” They did not destroy that city! They did not bring down that king! Why? What was that fury? Was this the outcome that God wanted? Was it the one He expected? Did He not provide Israel with everything they needed to accomplish the task? What happened? THE PROPHECY WAS NOT FULFILLED NOT BECAUSE OF GOD BUT BECAUSE OF ISRAEL!
You will never convince me that God had any part with the evil that happens. He does not want it to happen and He grieves when it does like He did about Saul. Plus, there is another one who is working! Hence, the fury that Israel faced. This other force is powerful! Why would we need to get up everyday and put on armor? Because 1. We are susceptible to sin in the most awful of ways. 2. There is one who is working to see that happen. Neither of which God wants or expects.
Jennifer
This blog was such a deep reminder to me of where my focus is…. It is so easy to focus on the day to day and lose focus of what really matters. Our 13 yr old broke her neck on a school playground accident in May of this year. Since then we have watched her struggle to learn how to use what little of her body still works. Her arms and her mind, mostly. She is a high functioning quadriplegic. She has done amazingly well, until this last month. We just got home from a 22 day stay in PICU for pneumonia and atelectasis (collapsed lung). She is not out of the woods yet and this is a very serious thing for her. We also have 8 other children. It is a challenge for us to balance time with her and with the kids at home and my husband and I only saw each other in passing a few times a week over the last three weeks.
Even so, all of this is temporary, not pleasant, not my choice for my life or my kids, but in all things God will get the glory as He carries us through, and we are trying to remind ourselves daily that this life is temporary. One day our Sarah will have a new body with legs that work again. It is still a very hard thing to deal with day to day but your blog helped me renew my focus… THANK YOU!
Melissa
Jennifer, I am so sorry to hear about your daughter’s accident and her recent health struggles. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I will keep you and your family in my prayers!
Annye
I have considered this phrase a lot in the last seven months since my baby boys death. God is so good in our suffering as Christians but you are spot on when you call that phrase hollow and a lie. I wish the Christian community was more careful in their (our) approach to the suffering and grieved. Phrases like this send a message that we don’t recognize the struggle and expect a perfect response to every trial no matter how devastating.
Melissa
Annye, I’m so sorry about your son. Thank you for taking the time to give this thoughtful response. You said it better than I could.
Derek Porter
Why does everything have to bring glory to God? Why can’t some parts of life just be broken?
womanonapilgrimage
A “wonderful” plan does not necessarily mean a “pleasant” plan. I don’t want to get hung up on the word “wonderful” — and I’ve honestly never heard the phrase “God has a wonderful plan for you” — but the pain we experience in life can be a part of a “wonderful” plan when we remain faithful to God through it all. The grieving mother has an opportunity to help another grieving mother down the road (see 2 Corinthians 1). The most difficult situation you deal with in life or the “thorn in your side” may be exactly what you need in order to become completely dependent upon God. And then again, some things happen by chance. However, God promises to see us through it all and reward us for our faithfulness when we cross over to eternity.
Jennifer Rundlett
Having only had time to read your blog and not all the other comments, I am going to wade in to say that God is glorified in the face of evil when Christians choose to not loose their faith….to not despair and then get up a work for good.
The amazing thing is to look at Christ when he suffered on the Cross…really look and listen to the words he says. He is teaching us how to suffer. To be forgiving, compassionate seekers of God who sometimes ask for what they need and even sometimes express their doubts…when you see this you realize that Christ is Emmanuel….God is with us in the suffering.
Jennifer Rundlett
PS. Thanks for your blog. I can see that it inspired a lot of good conversation. Keep it up:)))
Wm.
Many of the differences of opinion on this board may be due to vagueness. Let’s cast the subject controversial statement, “God has a wonderful plan for your life,” in two slightly-different forms:
[A] “God has a wonderful plan for your ETERNAL life.”
[B] “God has a wonderful plan for your EARTHLY life.”
REGARDING STATEMENT ‘A’. My guess is, few, if any, on this board will disagree with Statement ‘A’. The Bible makes crystal clear the differences between earthly (temporal) and heavenly (eternal) tenures. On Earth, amidst indescribable anguish Our Lord was made into a bloody mess; in heaven, Our Lord sits, bathed in glory at the right had of God. The contrast is stark, the message is clear.
REGARDING STATEMENT ‘B’. This statement is also true … in the sense that, say, an overall plan to regain physical mobility through a less-than-wonderful (read: painful) exercise routine is indeed wonderful. That the overall plan to succeed in school through sacrifice of time and money is indeed wonderful. I see neither inconsistency nor paradox in either of these examples. That short-term pain (earthly situation) precedes long-term perfection (heavenly situation) seems to me consistent with both scripture and everyday experiences.
That said, I appreciate Christians with good intentions can disagree over some matters of substance while nevertheless agreeing on core issues. One of those being: Christ was born to suffer and die for our sake. And while we are on the topic of His birth, let me wish each of you a, well, ‘wonderful’ Christmas.
Tracy Woodburne
Perfectly worded and drawn out. Thank you for your logic and humility in this comment.
crog
Man created in God’s image? The same animals that rape and kill and let children starve to death while blasting affordable healthcare for all, while investing their attentions to wall street investments and retirement plans? What kind of God leads men to behave this way? What kind of God allows horrible things to happen over and over, and for these same followers to act in moral superiority over those less fortunate? No one is helping to solve the problems of this world. Prayers don’t work. Perhaps humans would pay attention to the needs of other humans if they ditched this man-made god that only makes men morally worse than they’d be without.
Wm.
[RE: Dec 15, 2013 at 9:32 Post by ‘corg’]
Crog: Let me give your mis-placed rant a single go.
• To equate those (such as myself) who see “affordable healthcare for all” as the mere gov’t money/power-grab (which it is) with “animals that rape and kill and let children starve to death” is wholesale ignorance at best. At worst, I dare not say. (Aside: I’m curious how you stand on abortion, given it actually kills children…a ‘service’ provided gratis your “affordable healthcare for all” plan.)
• “…while investing their attentions to wall street investments and retirement plans?”
Maybe they are taking financial responsibility for themselves and their families. You know, so they can do things like, oh, buy their own health care…thus eschewing Karl Marx’ philosophy of “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.”
• “What kind of God allows horrible things to happen over and over, and for these same followers to act in moral superiority over those less fortunate?”
The kind of God who offers people “free will”. The kind who, himself, condescended to take on the worst of what you describe, so those who abuse, and are abused by, misguided free will (evil) have a chance to choose their own eternal destiny, thereby serving as examples to those who are making that choice. The kind of God who will most assuredly administer justice in the end, perfectly measured.
• “No one is helping to solve the problems of this world.”
Logically, one cannot make such a statement unless he/she knows what all the problems are, and what all the people are doing, and the unintended consequences of all proposed remedies. In this I am sure: Crog does not know.
• “Prayers don’t work.”
I can’t imagine why your prayers don’t work.
• “Perhaps humans would pay attention to the needs of other humans if they ditched this man-made god that only makes men morally worse than they’d be without.”
I agree with you in a sense: those with man-made gods should, indeed, ditch them. Ditch them for a god who loves to the point of dying at the hands of his own creation; then extending love and forgiveness to the same.
• In short, here’s the answer to your questions: (1) God gave us free will; (2) He graced us with Christ the Savior for repentant misuse of that free will; and (3) He gave us Christ the King to ultimately judge all for the fruits of their free will.
• In earnest, Crog, God is not an aloof or unaware of your concerns and observations. He gets it. And he has said as much to you and me (see quote below). But He is sovereign, and has chosen, whether we agree or not, to let evil run its course for a season:
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven … A time to be born, and a time to die … A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up … A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance….” — from Ecclesiastes 3
Tracy Woodburne
I was reading these comments and I do not understand why we as Christians choose to analyze and criticize one another seemingly every chance we get? Must we pick apart each word or phrase to prove ourselves “right”? Is this what God would want? Arguing about who loves Him more, who has a better grasp of the Scripture? Are there not more relevant things to be focusing on? Maybe it’s just me, but it’s something that really gets to me. Women hating on women, Christians hating on Christians…? Let’s try Kindness, Grace, and Love…there’s three ideas that are loud and clear in the Bible! Come on, what happened to Solidarity????
Gloria
Best thing I’ve read in quite some time. Completely honest and spot on for Christ followers. Thank you!
Michelle Blankenship
This is excellent! Thank you so much for articulating this so well!
If I may, I’d like to just add one thing to this, and that is that Jesus has been there. That is what brings me comfort. He may not have a wonderful plan for my life, but He did not spare His Son suffering, and so I have a friend in Jesus. One who knows. One who understands.
Of course, the wonderful part is the resurrection, which we’ll all get to experience. But we all know what happened *before* the resurrection, and that is what we live in now. Praise the Lord that He didn’t leave us alone in our suffering. He gave us Himself to suffer alongside us.
Mary Beth
Thank you for this! I wish someone could have shared this with me 29 years ago when my dad died. I spent a number of years hurt and confused because I didn’t understand what went wrong. God led me carefully and gracefully during that time and I can say without reserve, God IS Good!
Jennifer-Mommy Life After Ph.D.
I love this post. So very true and one example of the many misleading “church phrases” that Christians tend to use rather than being authentic. Thank you for this message!
~Jennifer
Walt Landers
I believe “God” and his associates watch silently and seldom interfere with the mortal existence. It is after your body dies that He reflects with you on your educational experience. Too many people, including Pharisees, bible entry writers, attribute words and attitudes to the creator without having any true knowledge.
Melissa
Walt, as one who believes the Bible I’ll have to respectfully disagree. Thanks for your comment.
kimberlymoca
I do not believe sin brings glory to God. However, I do believe the fact that the Lord is with us THROUGH the bad is what brings Him glory. He can take something so horrible and use it to speak to us. He can take something so tragic and put the pieces back together. But even when his Hand doesn’t move, each and every single time… HE LOVES. That is where His glory comes from. He loves and He will also comfort (if we will allow him). We may starve, we may be beaten, we may be raped, we may be murdered… but we CHOSE this life. We CHOSE to sin. We CHOSE to have a man-king, when all along we had the TRUE King. We CHOSE to establish government and to live by laws. As a people, we CHOSE to push God as far away as we could. God has given us free will and will NOT force us to CHOOSE Him or to CHOOSE His ways. God has left us to our ways. Even those of us who turn to Him, are destined to live with those (people, nature, sin) who won’t. Because of that, as long as you live in this sinful world of free will, you will never be able to escape the pain that comes with it. That’s doesn’t change who God is, though. That doesn’t change His love for us. It doesn’t change the sacrifice He gave us even though we chose not to honor Him. It doesn’t change what He is setting up for us in Heaven. God’s glory comes from GOD… not from sin. Not from things we believe to be “good.” From God alone.
Irina
Haha I didn’t read through all the comments, and it looks I’ve posted the same idea once again. God bless you, Kimberly! 😀
kimberlymoca
Irina, I read and truly enjoyed your post, also. My stance is not one that many people share or even understand. Thank you for being a fellow weirdo in Christ.
Amanda Fitz
I suppose it can only be said that God has a wonderful plan for our lives if knowing him, experiencing his love even in the midst of suffering and tragedy, and being made into the likeness of the God who loves us and died for us is wonderful. I would say that it is, but that the statement alone without explanation of who God is and the centrality of our relationship with him in this “wonderful plan” is left unexplained.
Amanda Fitz
Oops — I meant that the statement alone with those things left unexplained can be seen as misleading and people-centered.
Smith
Well… I didn’t read ALL these comments. And I don’t want to “hate on” anyone… but I wonder how any Believer in Jesus can say that God doesn’t have a wonderful plan for our lives ? My life isn’t easy. I have lived overseas and seen horrible poverty. Their lives aren’t easy. My young husband has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s for five years now… so… we have known hard things that have happened. And I choose to say that God’s plan for my/our life is wonderful. Because I believe that God is a GOOD GOD, I choose to believe that he will use these difficult things in my life to teach me what nothing else could teach me. As I allow it to, His wonderful plan for my life is will mold me to likeness of His Son as nothing else could. What on this earth could be more wonderful than having a relationship with the Almighty God ?
Perhaps your article means … fun and easy life on this earth. That may not be… but truly God’s plan for my life is Wonderful. He wants a relationship with me. Nothing is more wonderful than that. Emmanuel. God is with us.
Your article stirred a good discussion.
Irina
I just wish we could all keep in mind that initially God has created us with a free will to make choices. So after all it’s us, who have chosen evil. Well it was Eve and then Adam who have, but still, how many times a day/a week/a year we choose evil over God, we choose tree of the knowledge of good and evil over the tree of life?
It’s logical that He Who created us with a free will doesn’t in a way interfere the consequences we’ve caused to ourselves. Oh He sure can, He sure does have control over evil and He answers our prayers, but one thing He wouldn’t abuse is our free will.
However He loves us so much, He gives us Jesus and the Holy Spirit so we could endure this millisecond of life on Earth and return to Him to a wonderful eternity.
He is so big for us to comprehend completely and none of us can describe Him in a comment, but it’s great that we seek His face and often find the right answers.
Pray for everyone to be saved.
God bless you guys in this blog : )
Jill @ Called To Be A Mom
God never said it would be easy. I think Christians have been under a “sleeping guise” for too long. There are a a ton of problems. I firmly stand against human trafficking, abortion and other horrible things that are happening to Christian people. I couldn’t agree with you more about the wonderful will be in Heaven. As a Christian our worst will be on earth. As a non-Christian their best will be on earth. I think we need to look with great detail on what we say to others.
I have a best friend who was that mom losing her son. The church they were going to shunned them. I’m ashamed that I had previously went to that church. But that is when you learn people are shallow, God it good. Pain sucks but God does get your through things, though they are not all wonderful. Great post!