A Free Will Is Better Than a Free Lunch

Today in Southeastern Pennsylvania, it is about twenty degrees. Yesterday we had yet another day of "wintry mix" precipitation -- which is meteorologist speak for "my truck will require washing again." But this morning was clear and dry, so the dogs and I decided to make a go of it, despite the bitter cold. We hadn't walked far when I noticed a robin hopping along in the remaining snow. "Poor thing is confused," I thought. But then I noticed two more perched in a nearby tree. "They can't all be lost, right?" Of course, when I got home, I had to research robin migration. Of course. (Nerd!) Turns out, not all robins fly south for the winter; they will remain wherever they can find food, and robins, being omnivores, can adapt their diet to the food source available. If food becomes scarce, the robins take off -- literally. That gives new meaning to Matthew 10:29-31. God has thought of everything!

I began to consider, if a few hungry robins can rely on God's timing and provision, why do I have such a tough time with it? It's hardly a matter of life and death for me. When I'm waiting on God for an answer to a "should I or shouldn't I" question, why do I get so frustrated when I am met with silence? When I need God to help me through something, and I feel as though my prayers go no further than the ceiling, why do I feel such abandonment? When I want it now, I need it now, and God reminds me I will be just fine without it -- at least for a little while -- why am I so tempted by self-sufficiency?

Well, the simple answer, of course, is that God designed us in His image: we are intelligent, we can think and reason, and we have a will. But the answer that is a bit more overwhelming is that God has designed us to love Him, not just need Him; to be in relationship with Him, not just reliance on Him. Meditate on that for just a moment. The God of the universe, the Creator of everything -- omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent -- designed us to relate to someone like Him! He is intelligent beyond our wildest imagination, and yet, He wants us to tell Him what's on our minds and in our hearts. He has a plan and a purpose for each one of us, but He inclines His ear to our thoughts, and listens when we present our fears and reservations. He is Lord over all, but He wants us to share in the glory, seeking Him, doing His will and living eternally with Him!

Have you ever really admired someone -- a sports legend or musician, an intellectual giant? What if that person called you -- just out of the blue, called you. "Hey, I've heard about you and your life as a _____ (mig welder, gas station attendant, circus acrobat, sous chef...), and thought it might be cool to kind of hang out for a bit -- that is, if you don't mind." Crazy, right? But God is a magnanimous and perfectly loving being; it's not crazy when you consider all He is. And it's that magnanimous and perfectly loving being who would take such a risk on us: making us in His image, allowing us to refuse Him, patiently bringing us back around when we become frustrated or feel abandoned, correcting us when we choose self-reliance, loving us through it all and pursuing us that we might love Him back, and grieving, I'm sure, when we do not.

My avian curiosity satisfied, it was time to feed the dogs their breakfast. While waiting, their eyes were fixed on me, the most important human in the world. I felt pretty good about myself. As the bowls began their descent, I could see the dogs' focus change -- from my face, to the bowls. Their obedience and loyalty to me was based solely on what I was providing; the gift was, in reality, of greater importance than the giver. I thought of those robins again. "I could learn something from them, " I thought, "but there's something to be said for free will." God has thought of everything!