God's Will and The Wisdom of a Dwarf

Why is "God's Will" such a driving force behind our decisions in life? Sometimes even small things can turn into an anxious, nail biting dilemma. Tonight, a friend of mine asked, "How do we know when it's God speaking; his will and all that..." - I'm paraphrasing. That's the jest of it. We went around the diner table and offered our human understanding of such a divine concept. Each of us knew that we didn't have a solution or an easy answer. We're all in process and I'm not sure there is an arrival at all. But it's really got me thinking; why do we even want to know what to do next? Are we wired that way as Americans, as Christians, or is there something in human nature that just wanders, "What do I do next?" and something else (deeper within) that says, "What am I SUPPOSED to do next?" Why do we ask these questions?

I had to work late, so I headed to the cafe - It's Ramadan here, so they're open super late. I brought along my copy of the Two Towers and thought I'd read a bit. Then smack dab in the first chapter of this book, the wisdom of Gimli spoke to me very profoundly. Boromir has been slain, the haflings have been taken by Orcs, and Aragorn is trying to read all the signs to figure out what to do next...to figure out what they are SUPPOSED to do...

*illustration by: Terry A. Ernest

"Well, we have no time to ponder riddles, " said Gimli. "Let us bear Boromir away!"
"But after that we must guess the riddles, if we are to choose our course rightly," answered Aragorn.
"Maybe there is no right choice," said Gimli

Maybe there is no right choice. Aragorn is seeking answers to the riddles that are laid present before him to decide the right way. Don't we do the same in life? We look at what's around us, the pros, the cons, what our friends think, what the Bible says, and to top it all off, we've got the burning bush question of "What do you want me to do God?" But, as Gimli brings up in the face of all these riddles...what if there was no right or wrong choice? What if God is more interested in us knowing WHO he is, rather than WHAT he's doing. Graham Cooke once said...

"There is no security in what God is going to do next. There is only security in who God is. What God does is unpredictable. You never know what he's going to do next, but who he is never changes."

There is a certain comfort in the gloom of Gimli's answer to Aragorn's urge to find the next right path quickly. Knowing that there may not be a "right" way, somehow forces me to find security not in what, but in who. The companions may not choose a "right" or "wrong" way, but at least they will choose it together. In the end, I wonder how many nights are waisted in us trying to figure out what we should do! In Brennan Mannings words "Don't should on yourself."

Now the balance to all this is simple...there are still decisions we have to make. Do I marry him or her? Do we buy this house or move to this city? Do I take this job? Should we adopt? All of which our hearts cry out for an answer. And rightfully so. Many of our questions reflect the decisions that surround the desires of our hearts, and as as Christians we desperately want to make sure that our desires have some supernatural stamp of approval from heaven before enjoying them.

So, I'm not saying that we should never contemplate or seek out answers or ask God, "What's next, what should I do?" What I am saying, is that if we prematurely put values and barometers on things - labels like "good choice" or "bad choice," or if we get our stomaches in knots because we just don't want to do the "wrong thing" we'll never find security in our decisions. But if we find our security in God's good nature, we'll have the confidence to step out into any direction - even if we don't know the way.