Trusting His will, not ours

 

Word Alive

Trusting His will, not ours

 

By FR. BEL R. SAN LUIS, SVD

August 28, 2011, 8:00am

 

MANILA, Philippines — In an article titled “When We Dare to Trust God,” the writer Catherine Marshall wrote about a woman missionary who had contracted a strange disease.

The missionary had been sick for eight years and couldn’t understand why God let this tragedy happen to her. Daily she prayed for health so she could resume her missionary work. But her prayers went unanswered.

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One day, in desperation, she cried out to God: “All right, I give up. If You want me to be an invalid, that’s Your business.” Surprisingly, within two weeks the missionary fully recovered.

The story of the missionary woman illustrates the teaching of Jesus that unless we die to our own will, we cannot bear fruit for God. Had the missionary not died to her will, had she not said, “All right, God, You decide what You want, I give up,” she would probably have remained invalid.

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The story of the missionary reminds us of the story of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. During His agony there, He cried out to God, “Father... not My will... but Your will be done.” (Luke 22:42). Had Jesus not died to His will in the garden, you and I would not have been saved from our sins.

The stories of the missionary woman and of Jesus teach us the same lesson. They teach us that we must be willing to die to our will if we wish to bear fruit for God. We must trust God and put ourselves in His hands if we wish to attain authentic fulfillment.

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Concretely, what does all this mean for you and me in everyday life? Here are some possibilities: Suppose your marriage is falling apart and you need outside help but are too proud to ask for it, dying to your will means dying to your pride and asking for help.

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Or suppose some close friends tell you that you are developing a drinking problem but you keep denying it, in spite of mounting evidence. Dying to your will means admitting your problem and seeking medical help.

Suppose a friend or a family member has hurt you in some way and you are holding a grudge against him or her, dying to your will means humbling yourself to restore the broken relationship.

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That’s the same as deciding on a proposed bill that contradicts  the church’s teaching on the sacredness of human life. Dying to our will means taking the side that’s moral and godly.

Let us discern God’s will always and follow it even if it goes against our own will.

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THE LIGHTER SIDE. There was a lady who was mailing an old family Bible to her brother in another part of the country. 

“Is there anything breakable in here?” asked the postal clerk. 

The lady answered: “Yes, only the Ten Commandments.”

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Doctor: “Brod, why did you slap the guy you were talking with?” The angry man replied: “Imagine, he saw me very nervous about the result of my AIDS test and he still said... THINK POSITIVE!”