Friend or Foe?

I used to play a game with God. I’d try to make Him guess when I’d switch off my radio before I went to sleep. Would it be after this song, or the next, or would I wait until one came on that I didn’t care to hear? Figure that one out, Heavenly Father.

Trouble was, since God knew everything, He knew before I did when I’d hit the off switch. If I went “yes, no, yesnoyes—no!” He was already at “no!” while I was still toying.

I was actually playing the game with myself.

My concept of God has expanded significantly over the years. He is no longer a bearded father figure with a warm smile and forbidding frown, keeping track of my mistakes and saving any rewards for the outcome of my Judgment Day trial. It seems so narrow-minded now, but it was familiar to me then, and so I went with it. For the purpose of this post, the omniscient creator of all things is referred to as “God”.

Life can change your mind if you’re open to new ideas. I am much happier believing that God loves each of us equally and unconditionally, and what awaits at the end of the road is neither punishment nor condemnation, but a joyous welcome home. As I’ve said before, even the bad guys deserve praise for giving it their best shot. They make the good guys look even better, don’t they? Without the villains, the heroes have no cause to be heroic. Without cruelty, compassion is unnecessary. How can we experience the best in human nature without someone acting out the worst? Ironically, it takes a hero to be a villain.

I digress. Sort of.

Just like everyone else, I was born with a map in one hand and a copy of my agreement in the other. The agreement is a list of things I want to learn, to experience, and to share. I also have specific assignments that only I, with my unique blend of energy and talent, can perform. I have this much time and will be accompanied by these people, for the purpose of this outing in the guise of friends, family, co-workers, etc. God knows me well enough to trust that I will fulfill the bulk of my contractual obligations, and maybe even nail them all; but how I arrive at the end result is entirely up to me.

God’s part of the deal is to provide lane assist when I start to stray off course, to plant road markers that I may or may not recognize (again, that’s up to me), and to be there when I reach for Him. I’m pretty sure we agreed to some other things, but I lost both my map and my copy of the contract so I’m basically winging it on faith, trusting that someone somewhere has the originals.

Oh, and the bit about God knowing what we’ll do before we do it? He doesn’t worry about when the radio is shut off. He just loves the child playing the game.