Go vs. No (Puppets Part 2)

 “Annuit Coeptis”–Providence has favored our undertakings.

This motto is proudly declared on The Great Seal of the United States of America, and printed on the back of every $1 bill.  Have you ever noticed it there?  Just flip Georgey Porgey over and look above the pyramid. Providence has favored our undertakings.   An earlier draft of this motto was “Deo Favente” which translates literally to “with God favoring.”  The intention is clear that the creators of our national seal believed God was blessing their endeavors, and would continue to do so for the generations to come.  That is a bold declaration!  How could they say that?  A statement like that can only be generated in a particular context.  It is a context of “Go!” rather than “No!”

Remember that context is decisive.  In the land of “No until go,” we bring our limp frames of inaction and flop them down in front of God.  We wait for Him to do something with them, and we wait for permission to move.  But in the land of “Go until no,” we can bring all the gifts and talents and energy God has endowed us with and step into action to move WITH Him.

So what if God’s will really is more like “Go until no” rather than “No until go”?  A new possibility in the relationship between God’s will and my actions begins to open up; and a sense of responsibility for my choices emerges.  Rather than being a puppet in His hand, I am a partner with His Presence. God puts breath in my lungs and opens my eyes each new day, and I still have to get my butt out of bed. God gives me a heart inclined towards Him, and I can express and pursue the desires in it. God renews my mind, and I can direct it with purpose and  bold decisions.   And because God is with me and in me, I can do whatever good thing my hands find to do, and do it from the peace that it’s all already in alignment with His enormous, expansive will.

It is essential and good to seek God’s face, voice and direction. I can’t imagine life without the Holy Spirit’s guidance!  But when it comes to knowing God’s will, it seems there are times He has specific instructions for us, and there are times He has opened lots of space for us to create and choose.  Maybe all that silence we struggle with is God giving us room to decide.  I had a client just today say, “I just want God to decide for me!”  If we are honest with ourselves, we often want that.  It’s easier for us to make God responsible for everything.  It lets us off the hook in our own lives.

I love the metaphor that it’s much easier to steer a boat in motion than one that is standing still.  It seems there are also times we actually need to get moving–into uncertainty–before the way gets clear…if it ever clears up at all. There are times God shows us the way so we can take the next step, and there are also times God shows us the way only AFTER we’ve taken the next step.

There is a scene in the final Indiana Jones movie where Indiana has to cross a great cavern to get to the Holy Grail. There appears to be no human way to cross it—too big to jump, no bridge. So Indiana is left only with a clue indicating he must take a leap of faith. He steps out into what looks like nothing, until his foot lands solidly on a bridge that had been so camouflaged it was virtually invisible. But with his foot planted firm, Indiana is able to clearly see the path in front of him, the path that had been there all along.  Sometimes life unfolds like that.

Let me be clear that the kind of being in action I’m referring to today is not the busy frantic-ness that comes from fear and worry.  It is a conscious, deliberate step that comes from faith, hope and love in the context that God really is with us and for us.

We may have more freedom with God than we have ever realized. What if God’s will is already go, and the light just isn’t going to get any greener? What are we waiting for?

Be Great!

Becky