Comments on: So you went against God’s will. Now what?

By: How I was reminded that focusing on Christ keeps you sane : Conversion Diary

How I was reminded that focusing on Christ keeps you sane : Conversion Diary — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:25:29 +0000

[...] blessed my initial efforts at the Rosary. As Elizabeth Mahlou pointed out in her great comment to this post, God doesn’t play games of “Gotcha!”, punishing us for making mistakes in form [...]

By: ED

ED — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:12:48 +0000

Yes, I know I'm late to the conversation

But my thoughts on this kind of thing have lately been that God, being infinite, does not have one single plan for us that we can deviate from with our free will. Rather, I believe He has infinite plans for us, one for each of the infinite directions our lives could go depending on how we and those around us exercise our free will. We can NEVER go beyond God's plans for us. He has already planned for anything that could possibly happen in our lives. If God is omnipotent and omniscient, He already knows what His Will for us is for every possible path our lives can take.

Mostly, I've been thinking about this in response to people asking, "How did you know whom God had planned for you to marry? What happens if you marry the wrong person?"

By: anthony j

anthony j — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:23:45 +0000

How do you know you went against God's will? You and all of us are in a plan God has for our salvation. You did just what He wants of you. Constantly praise Him and see what is ahead for you. He will not let you down. Pray the ROSARY>

By: G

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:57:34 +0000

"No point in praying," my subconscious mind would mutter, "God can't help you now — he's back in the land of his will that you left when you made that stupid decision!"

Jen, I had to LOL when I read that line because the devil beat me up with it for years till I finally figured out who was behind it! After 60 yrs, I can look back & see that EVERY circumstance in our seemingly circular lives glorifies God if we just let it. That's all. "Abandonment to Divine Providence" by de Caussade is the classic on this & it continues to nourish me. Wonderful post. Thank you!

By: cathy

cathy — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:31:07 +0000

I just read my post again, and I realize that I might have been referring to nonspiritual as opposed to spiritual consolation or desolation, which is what Fr. Gallagher stressed people to distinguish between when following St. I's rules. So maybe some of my inferences from Rule # 5 are misguided (and I apologize to those who follow St. I's stuff!), but there may still be some helpful themes somewhere in my post, hopefully…

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:21:30 +0000

I would like to add, as a parent of a child with Down syndrome, that there is always going to be that moment when reality hits home, and you think, "There is *no* *way* I can handle this!" But we, at a societal level, have a big hangup about disabilities, and we forget that on the other side of the panic moment, you discover that a child is first a child. The rest of it reveals itself in time.
The reality check is valid, but it's only one moment. My daughter's love lasts a lifetime.

By: Missy

Missy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:39:34 +0000

There are so many comments already but felt I needed to share my thoughts. First of all, thanks for asking us to share - I think people deal with this more often than we realize.

My advice to the woman would be to first ask God to make it clear to her. And then like someone else said, consult her husband. I don't agree with some of the comments that "doing good is always God's will". Yes it's true we are to do good but sometimes God's will is no.

I have a similar adoption story - it's really too long to leave here but in the middle of the adoption God said to wait. I was heartbroken but my husband was at peace about it. Well if we hadn't had waited, hadn't had listened to God's voice (if I hadn't been willing to submit to my husband's thoughts) we probably wouldn't have our 2 babies today.

Again...story too long - but there was also a time in my left when I left the church, rejected Christ, left my first husband, returned our newly adopted daughter back to her birth mom and ended up living with a guy (who is now my husband). Talk about going against God's will!! But praise God, He is always faithful to redeem and forgive and heal. There are still scars and always will be but He is the soothing balm that eases the pain.

Like you said the past is the past but let's remember to focus on God's will today!

By: Roz

Roz — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:53:37 +0000

I can't add anything to the excellent discussion already, except to offer a couple of quick-take nuggets that I offer to people in this struggle (and frequently use myself):

1. God pulls us out of every hole, even the ones we've dug for ourselves.

2. Our sin surprises only us. God already has it factored into his spreadsheet.

It may be an incredible blessing that (1) this person is about to embark on a wonderful work of mercy for one of His beloved helpless ones, and (2) she has come to such an awareness of her sinfulness that she won't be depending on her own strength to do it, but will instead depend on God.

When I left home for college, I deliberately chose a dorm with a reputation for being "wild" because I was tired of being the responsible oldest child. It turned to be a hotbed of fervent Christians who evangelized the heck out of me and changed my life. You never know.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:49:06 +0000

I made the biggest financial mistake of my life in 2004. I got tired of dealing with some very irritating neighbors so I put my house up for sale. I prayed and prayed for guidance on what to do. I didn't get any idea of what God's Will for me was. I sunk every dime from the sale of the house into another… I've lost $250,000 and may very well lose the house I'm in. Now I pray for the ability to let it go… and I still do not get any relief. I've prayed for God to touch me in the slightest way… give me just a little sense of peace. I have none.

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:09:10 +0000

Ever had the chance to use an automated GPS system in your car? If you miss the right turn, the system recalculates your route and gives you another chance to get there. Sometimes it involves a U-Turn, but more often the system will ask you to take an alternate route.

In cases where I worry that I've misheard what I'm supposed to be doing (or worse, know I'm not being obedient), I find it helpful to remember that God's a little bit like that GPS system, without the technical imperfections. No matter what I or anyone else does, he can use my actions to work towards the fulfillment of his perfect plan. He will always provide us with a way to turn back to him.