Human beings are capable of amazing things when they work
together with God. It is amazing to me
that considering how much God knows about our lives, circumstances, and what
will make us happy, how little we understand the same, and how high the stakes
are, that God lets us forge our own path so often. Even when we follow His inspiration
completely, our lives in so many ways are still up to us.
If I were in God's position, it would be very tempting to micromanage
us, especially as we navigate the most important decisions, such as education
and marriage. It would be natural to
want to control all of our decisions so that we would never get hurt unnecessarily. But it is more important to Him that our path
be uniquely ours.
My favorite part of the Meet the Mormons movie was the
story of the Candy Bomber, the man who, during the USSR blockade of East
Germany, airlifted candy for the local children in addition to the food that
the US was supplying the country. The
part that stood out to me the most was how the Lord inspired him. He was at the end of his first run to East
Germany when he happened to talk to some German children standing near the
fence. As he turned to go, he felt a
clear impression to go back to the fence.
Upon returning, he gave the children a stick of gum. They enjoyed it so much that he decided that
he had to do something to help them. And
that was when he decided to begin airlifting candy.
Now what strikes me the most about this story is what God didn't do. He didn't sit him down on a stump somewhere
and say, "Listen, son. These German
children haven't so much as smelled candy in a very long time. Even just a small piece of candy would lift
their spirits. I want you to start
airlifting candy to them so that the East Germans will maintain enough good
morale to withstand the Soviet blockade."
If He had, no doubt that the Candy Bomber would have obeyed. But God didn't do that. Instead, He merely whispered, "Go back to
the fence." He knew what the result
would be. He knew the man's heart. But He wanted it to be his own decision. Because that is precisely what makes the
story so beautiful.
The Candy Bomber may have chosen a myriad of other ways to
help the children that would have been equally impactful. But he chose this one, and that was what made
it special.
It
is interesting to consider that Jesus may not only give us blessings because
the Father commands Him to, but also from His own initiative because
He has compassion on us. For example,
from His visit to the Nephites, we read, "And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus
spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they
were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to
tarry a little longer with them. And he
said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you"
(3 Nephi 17:5-6). And then He healed
their sick. He didn't say it was because
the Father commanded Him to, but rather because of His own compassion.
It
is true that God blesses us in response to our agency. But it is also my experience that His
blessings far outweigh our requests. We
might ask for an angelic visitation to confirm the truthfulness of the Book of
Mormon, and He gives us the even greater witness that comes through the Holy
Ghost. We might ask for a miracle, and
He responds by strengthening us so that we can change our circumstances. Think about it; whether the miracle comes
through us or through some impressive outside means, our request has been
granted and our circumstances changed.
But by changing us, God not only answers our prayers, but also gives us
something more: a strength of character that we can use and carry with us the
rest of our lives. Often even His
"no" answers are but the segue to an even greater "yes."
Agency
is one of the greatest gifts that God gives.
Not only our own agency, but His.
He chooses to help us, guide us, love us, and protect us. No one commands Him to; He does it of His own
volition. And, in the end, that is what
makes it so beautiful.
"Gift Giving Just Around the Corner:-)" no changes made, by Kasla. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode
"Waterfall", no changes made, by Sudipto Sarkar. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode
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