A Matter of Will: Part 1

I've been thinking about matters of will. Not the legal read-me-after-I-die kind, but something I think is more important.

I love reading Genesis One because item by item, day by day, God expressed His will as He made choices in creating sky, land, and sea.

When it came to the creation of mankind, God also made His will clear: (1) He created us in His image with a will and the ability to make choices, plus (2) He gave us an earthly assignment (Genesis 1:26).

Here's a story I wrote several years ago. I'm using it as an introduction to A Matter of Will: Part 2 which I will send next week.

DEAR WILL

What a pleasure to write this letter. I want you to know how much I appreciate having you in my life.

Thanks to you, I can make thoughtful decisions and not rush blindly into dangerous situations. You are the one who enables me to choose what to do, where to go, and what to say.

I appreciate the freedom you give me and how you wait while I search things out and review information to make a good choice.

Because of you, I am the captain of my own ship in many ways. Even when the storms of life cause me grief and troubled times, I don't have to bob along on unsettled waves. I can decide which life-saving actions to pursue.

I have learned from experience that you can be quite flexible. If I need strength and boldness, you rise to the occasion and people call me "strong-willed." If I choose to shrink back and let circumstances and others' choices control me, I get labeled "weak-willed." Either way, you stick with me.

I appreciate your respect. Others may try to pressure me into doing their will by threatening to affect my life in any number of uncomfortable ways, but you quietly wait in the background for my decision. Once it's made, you support me while I follow through. 

I thank God for you, Will. You have helped make me who I am today and will continue to impact my life right to the end. You accompany me as a companion, not a dictator.

My wrong choices cause discomfort, but you remain loyal, hoping I will see the error of my ways. I consider you an invaluable friend.

TWO EXAMPLES OF WILL AT WORK 

Ruth, in the Old Testament, chose to accompany her mother-in-law back to her homeland. She said, "Wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live . . . wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried . . ." (Ruth 1:16-17).

In the New Testament, before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father, "Take this cup from Me. Yet, not what I will, but what You will" (Mark 14:36).

I'm grateful God gave me Will. How about you?

Pixabay: Thinker, Thinking Person; Clker-Free-Vector-Im.