By Joy Le page Smith, MA, BCC
While Gary and I were having lunch with our friend, a retired military man, we talked about a book titled Why the Universe Is the Way It Is. Having just read Hugh Ross’ book, my enthusiasm is piqued by this scientist’s findings.
Our friend said, “What I wonder is why God went to so much trouble to create a place where human beings could live and breathe. Look at us now!” I took this to mean let’s get to the crux of what did God intend to gain from building this place so intricately timed and dynamically detailed—plus being beautiful?
I was taken back a bit. It had been easy to believe God made the universe for our enjoyment . . . a place where we could live well—and love. The fact is that this arrangement opened an option for gaining an intimate relationship with our Creator. Or, not!
For us, when we decide to get to know our Heavenly Father and to follow His plan for us through reading the words given to us in Scripture, it becomes clear what is right and what is wrong. God and His Words become forefront to our lives. We become partners with Him in the world—even to gain eternal life, meaning God takes us “home” to Himself when “it is over.”
This is a steadfast offering within the Scriptures for “the children of God.” In the Bible we learn who will be given eternal life after death:
“…as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).”
It is a blazon fact that after our time of being here, we die. Try as one might to pretend it isn’t true, that simply does not work.
Meanwhile, “while here.” We get to enjoy our lives in many, many ways. Having cognitive functions, we ponder and reflect while savoring nature, pets, friendships, foods of many flavors, and dreams—to mention a few of our countless blessings.
The greatest of all happenings in my life was when I found Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord of my life as a child. Church experience caused me to grow in my faith. But the next greatest thing of my life came after marriage through birthing children. Having children brings marvels to our lives, as well as challenges and hardships. We have to share with them—and as parents we actually love doing so.
Scripture says we are “made in God’s image.” So, it seems likely all of the above are part of God’s nature . . . given to us as well. It seems powerfully evident that in “parenting” us God finds the same joys that we experience in providing, protecting and directing our children. We expect our children to obey the directives we extend to them—and this without a doubt is true of God.
So, in this way, we are creators like our Heavenly Father. Through the loving partnership of marriage, we embrace the opportunity of bearing and raising children.
Like it is with us, our children come because we want that loving relationship to be a part of our lives. The universe is a place prepared so God’s great love of life could include us, His children. His plan is about our having a great experience while developing a relationship with Him. Growing into His sons and daughters who, given time, take on His nature. So the more we love (live healthy, caring ways with others), the more we are like our Creator.
Of course, if He had made us robots we would have no choice in God’s plan. But, He gave free will. We get to choose Him or to go our own way deciding what is right and what is wrong!
The first two chapters of the Bible exemplify human free will and what happened to earth’s experience when the first people—God’s first children—decided disobeying God was an OK thing to do. The whole earth suffered—the plan God had in mind was nixed—based on human disobedience! So, we now have sickness, suffering and death. We have weeds and nature suffers; we have catastrophic weather patterns. The earth is no longer perfect. This was our doing, not God’s doing. But He, through His love, has a rescue plan. All who follow the story of the New Testament and Easter know the plan well. Some of us are aligning ourselves with it to the best we can. In doing so, we find peace and satisfaction—happy to be God’s children. Successively, we do what we can to help others, especially those in need, while enjoying a relationship with our Creator who made us out of love.
. . . consider sharing my website with others as there are lots of “helps” at healing-with-Joy.com
This is so appropriate for this Easter Sunday, to know that we, as humans, are imperfect and fall
short of the glory of God’s grace for us and yet we are given the opportunity to accept the
salvation by the fact that Jesus died on the cross to take on our sin and promise those
who believe, eternal life with Him in Heaven. Time grows short so we need to believe
in Jesus and His mercy for us.
Thank you for your astute comment for this website. During the last two days, people living in Canada, Pakistan, United Arab E. and many in the US read my Easter column. The largest number of readers for that piece live in the USA. This a.m. that Easter piece was also read in Australia. God has opened doors toward reaching more and more people globally. Just yesterday, it became possible to submit weekly to about 1,000 more newspapers than currently publish my work. This gift came through the generous help received from another columnist, Dr. James Snyder from Florida, whose column is titled “Out to Pastor.” His work is nationally (maybe internationally) syndicated for broadcasting. It is great gift that God has opened doors toward reaching more and more people globally. Some who come to my website like reading short comments like yours. Thank you for contributing, Dell!
I agree that the greatest gift is Jesus!! The free gift of our Father.
Next is the God-given gift of free will whereby we choose to accept Him as our Savior.
In motherhood we join our Creator and He breathes His life into our children. I can see the great responsibility God has given us. You have expressed the tasks given to mothers by the Creator Himself. I pray that all mothers see this gift.
Thank you for your inspired messages in this column.
Thank you, Bertha, for your astute reading and also for your comment. I see the children I have birthed and raised as being the wealth of my life.
Please keep reading and commenting.
Great Easter column, Joy! Your columns are great reminders and they always bring me back to my heart’s center.
I loved your comment, Haley! It is my greatest hope to help people find their way to God . . . and sometimes to find their “way back.” :-) Our love and devotion to God is the one thing that we will take with us at death. And, none of us know how long we will “be here.” The husband I married at 17 (and had 3 sons with) died yesterday. The power to death is so real to our family right now. So, I love staying on the path of having the joy of the Lord regardless of what takes place–and rejoicing each day of life knowing this is not our home! We are here to learn and love, yet we are intended to have our eternal HOME in Heaven. Free will is a great gift–and we all get to choose how we are going to live it . . . and what–and who– we are going to love.