Free Will

A major element in our state of original grace is our gift of free will. It is a precious gift bestowed by our Creator to liken us to Himself. But how have we used this gift to advantage? Most of us may have experienced our will curbed and curtailed from our early years thus making us either powerless or overwilled, while probably the other fraction had their will so untamed and undirected that they may have lost control over it.

A bogged down will is evident, for instance, during critical times when we find ourselves plunged into the depths of despair or thrown off-balanced in the height of confusion. We feel helpless and trapped, we fall prey to believing that there is no way out from the quagmire we find ourselves in. The more wounded we have been in life, the more inadequate we may feel at these critical moments. Our tendency is to resort to dysfunctional patterns and negative mechanisms which lead us farther away from effective, life-enhancing solutions.

It is at these points in our journey that we have to turn to the Author of our life for guidance. God’s specialty is what we often consider the impossible. Scripture tells us, “nothing is impossible with God.” However, for God to make a way for us, we have to do our part. We have to freely choose to and will so. Concretely, this could mean making an act of faith and trust in Him and uniting our will with His, knowing that our wills just like our hearts, were made for Him and will always seek what is good and godly.