I have had something on my mind, rolling it around and
around, wondering about it, ever since I heard the words said.
First of all
let me say I found it to be one of the best, clearest explanations given, in
regards to this topic. I liked it. It
has sat in my mind. Although best and
like are not quite the right words to use.
In horrific circumstances, under great distress and deep, deep sadness,
it was brought up, the words stuck out, explained in the clearest bluntest of
ways. It was not really an explanation;
it was said as fact in a sentence.
Words said
by Robbie Parker, with tears in his eyes and trying to catch his breath,
talking about the man that gunned down his beautiful, 6 year old daughter,
Emily, at Stony Hook School…
“Free agency is given to all of us to act
and choose to do whatever we want and God can’t take that away from us. And I know that is something he was given and
that is what he chose to do with it. And
I know that God can’t take that away.
I’m not mad, because I have my free agency to make sure that I use this
event to do whatever I can to want to make sure that my family, my wife and my
daughters are taken care of.”
Free agency. Free
choice. Free will.
I have heard it explained in regards to faith for Christians,
as applied to them and those, over there who apparently choose not to be
Christians. Free will being necessary
for developing faith, for believing once and for all, saying, it is your choice
to believe, that we are all given free will to believe or not.
But now I see that free will is not only given so that we
can choose to believe or not, free will is God given from the start, just to
be. Created. We are created with it that way, from the
start, for all of our actions, for what we do with ourselves, not necessarily
concerning faith…but with our life, no matter who we are…free will, free agency…it
is what we do.
I have been wondering something else; could God not have
stepped down into that school yard, there in Connecticut and stopped this mad
man from using his free agency? He could have, I believe He could have. There are many examples to prove that He
could, that there were times that He did; Saul was on a killing rampage, using
his own free agency… but God. God stopped
him in his tracks. Stopped. Him.
In. His. Tracks.
There was no time for heart change, for thought change, it just simply,
abruptly changed, with the flash of light in the middle of his rampage, because
God wanted him for Him, now.
We all know the stories, told by people who experienced
this, they say,” it was a miracle! God simply stopped me from craving that…now
I do this for God.” “God took away my
need for that drug…now I serve God here.”
“God stopped my thoughts in that area…now I work for God in this way.” Miracles
happen, God can step in, because He wants you now.
How long is free agency in our hands, always, sometimes? When
does God step in, does He? For whom does He step in? Miracles happening…do
they…will He?
What do you think?
I think, sometimes miracles are to be had, to be known and
felt, to be seen and talked about, Hallelujah!
I think sometimes miracles are not to be, but we are given the strength to
stand firm anyway! I think sometimes
miracles are not going to happen, at least not in the way we want, we will go
through hard times, we will suffer and cry out and it will seem for a long
time, but grace is given. I think
sometimes, God wants us to fight for what we believe according to our faith,
strengthening our faith, proving God true.
And I think that sometimes, sometimes God prepares us to suffer while He
stands, seemingly silent, at our side weeping with us.
Yes, at our side weeping with us, watching the trouble
happen…just like He did with his only son.
God, weeping
with us…
I love that.
“Circumstances may
appear to wreck our lives and God’s plans,
but God is not
helpless among the ruins.”
Eric Liddell, Olympian
