TOPIC: SYNOPTIC GOSPELS
By Len Mier
QUESTION: How have I seen God’s baffling and unsettling wisdom at work in my own life experience?
ESSAY 2
The whole notion of God’s wisdom at work in my life is something I struggle with almost daily. For the most part it boils down to accepting the world not as I want it to be or how I want those things outside of my direct control to influence my being.
I am coming to realize, after much and soul searching, that God is not testing me or my love of Him. In God’s wisdom I get what I need, not what I necessarily want.
I can only draw from my own life experiences to see the baffling wisdom of God at work. After being morbidly obese for years, God gave me the strength to go through the trials that go along with bariatric surgery. I initially thought that in God’s wisdom I would never have to deal with major health issues once I lost the excess weight. But God’s wisdom did not give me what I wanted, to be without any major health issue. He gave me what I needed. He placed before me a trial that was not to test me, but to challenge me to accept this life as He wants me to experience life. It is what we do with these challenges that gives us insight into what God’s wisdom is. God challenges me to keep the Gospel message even if I don’t see for myself what the outcome of life may be. The challenge is to trust that God knows more about me than I know about myself.
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Again, the challenge I would give my readers is to think about this very same question and formulate your answer. There are not any right or wrong answers to these questions but only your response. Usually it takes a little reflection and thought. How is God’s wisdom at work in your life?
I know that God’s Wisdom led me to the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. I never had a thought of being a priest in the Ukrainian Church. But life’s very unique circumstances led me here. I now consider this fact as one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I had no experience with the Eastern Church. I sincerely believe that the Eastern Church has been my salvation. I don’t know where I would be, as I think about it today, if I hadn’t come into our Church.
I wonder what your experience of life has been? I wonder whether you see your life as truly an expression of Divine Providence, God helping you to become all that you can possibly be. I think that it is important to think in this manner – it brings the fullness of life and personal salvation.