hi everyone
lately i have been thinking a lot about our relationship with God and His role in our lives and i was left with a few unanswered questions and i hope i can get your answers to those questions or at least some of them please . i would also like to hear Fr. peter's answers please
first i want to ask about the contradiction between our free will and god's will for us. many people say that god's ultimate goal or will for us is to be happy and content, which is fair enough. but when i think about it, i find that this is not always ideal. many times we are put into problems (temptations) and i guess it is called a temptation because it is a test for us and we have the choice to do what we are MEANT to do as oppose to what we really WANT to do. i find is very confusing. why is it that we are given free will if we are supposed to act in a specific way at the end. i know that problems and temptations are sent to us from god to sometimes purify us and bring us closer to him. but why can't we just be close to him without temptations, why does it have to be the hard way? God is more than capable to keep us on track if he wills ,for example, one can enjoy being at church and attending masses and listening to hymns and sermons etc and really feel god in our life and be in harmony with him ( and we enjoy it because we really do, willingly not because god controls us and makes us enjoy it ) but as soon as we are sent out in the world we are faced by many tempting incidents ( which may indeed like i mentioned bring us to god too) i guess my question is . if we are given free will and we will to be with god and please him, since we enjoy being in his presence at church etc, why is it then that it has to be done the hard way, why do we have to go through the narrow gate. why do we need to struggle to be with god , why does he not make it easy for us to follow him. also why are we put in temptation in order to be purified why can't we just be purified through being with him and on the right track without hardships. and lastly, what is the point of free will if we are judged for doing the wrong thing ( even if we didn't do it intentionally) if god loves us and only aims to bring us closer to him, then why not take the free will and just let us enjoy him even if it might seem like we are forced to. ( we are forced into temptations and problems most of the time anyway)
sorry to make this long but it is very hard to keep on track when i have all those questions in my mind that are "tempting me" , i hope someone out there would be able to answer me and give me a realistic answer and a realistic advice rather than the repeated sweetened and ideal words we always hear nowadays.
i apologise if my post was found inconvenient to anyone and please keep me in your prayer.
Thanks
Comments
These few examples may help. We get certificates when we are willing to study to pass the exams, or perform correctly to produce things we want to make, we go through training and willingly learn to do our best then to reach the state of the art level.
Consider that life is also like a match. When we play basketball we like to win, it is our will to win both individuals and team. There are many standard game rules to respect and there are judges to check that and they also watch our behavior, otherwise we lose the match as a result of bad performance or for not following the rules of the game (likewise to score in any sport) - it's the same in life.
GBU
It is to be expected that life will be filled with trials, many of which will seem to be almost more than we can bear. But we choose this life because we know that there is no other eternal meaning in life than knowing God.
For the joy set before Him our Lord endured the cross and death. The Apostles suffered persecution, rejection and death. The martyrs faced torture. The saints faced exile, imprisonment and death.
And all of us ordinary folk face the confusions and frustrations of every day life. The family and employment disasters. The poverty. The loneliness. The hatred of others even. We face this because the one reality in life is knowing God and being known by Him.
The Christian way is a narrow way, a hard road, a desert road.
Our love is proved and improved by these trials. If we suffer nothing in life then we do not really love. Or rather we love the ease and comfort we enjoy. When things go wrong we are asked to still love God and find in Him, even while we are confused, a source of hope and peace.
Do not fear any feelings of discomfort, rather rejoice that you also have been called to seek God on the narrow way. it may be that there is no happiness or comfort in our lives but we may still experience peace and joy and the presence of God.
When we seek Him with all our heart we will find Him. Not necessarily feelings of happiness. But a rooted and unshakeable trust. We are not promised happiness in this life. But if we are faithful and prove our faith through every kind of trial then we will be rewarded with the divine presence in this life and in the one to come.
God bless you
Father Peter
first i'd like to say thank u for putting in effort to reply to this post.
but what u are saying is the exact point i'm trying to raise. we are always challenged in our spiritual life, the question is why is this always the case?
i mean if my heart is longing to be with god, then i think he is kind enough to help me through the journey of uniting with him, not be put into temptation ( even if it is to purify me, there are always other ways).
the bible says that we only need to believe and we will be healed. god is willing to come to us right ? HH also discusses this in one of his famous sermons "7ewar ma3 allah" he says that we only need to do the first step and it becomes easy from there, but in reality this doesn't actually happen?
[quote author=John_S2000 link=topic=11495.msg138462#msg138462 date=1306240758]
The more we love God the more we find out His commandments are easier to practice and as we pray and ask His support He helps us to overcome our weaknesses.
i know what u are saying is true but it is not very easy to put into practice. i don't always find it as easy as it sounds, which is exactly why i struggle
i am not trying to challenge anyone or question our faith i am just sometimes very confused as to why God's help isn't always as obvious?
once again thanks for the help and please keep on posting everyone!
Pp4m
God Bless