One of the selling points of evangelical theology is the idea that God doesn’t just have a plan for the world, God has a specific plan for each one of us. This redux of predestination (that God plans who is saved and who is damned before they are born) is meant to make us feel special and loved (as long as we are the ones being saved, I guess). And listen; I am all for feeling special and loved, and I think it is absolutely true that God made us each special and that we are all loved by God. I tell children all the time that they are so special that they are the only ones in the world with their fingerprints. Each person is totally unique and gifted in some way that makes us a one-of-a-kind person, created by God to live lives of purpose and love. Where you lose me, however, is the “definite plan” idea.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that every person in the church had spiritual gifts from God. Some of those gifts were flashy, while others were under the radar. All of them, he promised, were equal in the sight of God because all of them came from the same Spirit. There’s some speculation as to why he wrote this; I think he saw people with flashy gifts – like speaking in tongues – believing their gifts were better than less flashy gifts – like praying. People love hierarchy, as long as they are at the top. God likes community, where all people are equal. These spiritual gifts were meant to lift up the church, not the individual. There is no individualism in our faith – everything is supposed to be done for the greater good. This is one reason the church has struggled so much in this culture. We like to win at all costs.
I will say it again – I am a free-will theology kind of guy. Given the choice between God deciding, say, who we elect as opposed to us freely voting, I choose the latter. Or the idea that there is a special God-given person we are supposed to marry – nonsense! What if that person turns out to be a serial killer? We either choose freely or we don’t have choice. God doesn’t manipulate our lives or mandate our paths. God might whisper in our ear – God might lead us with Scripture – God might nudge others to nudge us – but God does not choose for us. And we don’t need a micromanaging God to make us feel special and loved – that is already given to us freely by the God who made us intelligent, thinking, feeling, spiritual creatures. It’s called grace.
So, like we often say to our children: make good choices. Know that you are loved. Have a good day. Be kind to others. And if life, or people, or chaos knock you down, get up and keep on swimming. There’s always room to start again.
Prayer – Holy God, thank You for giving us each special ways to make the world a better place. Show us how to use those gifts for the greater good and not for ourselves alone. Amen.
Today’s art is projection mapping by Miguel Chevalier in King’s College Chapel at the University of Cambridge in England.