Whose Will Are You Following? A Reflection on Surrendering to God’s Plan
“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” ~ Jn 5:30
I invite you to search all areas of your life and identify the situations where your behavior and attitude is similar to the Jews questioning Jesus.
While they come across as the villains of the story, I don’t think it is a straightforward conclusion.
The Jewish leaders were passionate about following the Laws of Moses. This may be similar to following the Catechism and Canon Law.
Along the way, their passion for doing the right thing the right way became the sole focus of their existence. It was their way or the highway. Their way became their god.
- In what areas of life do I expect other people to do it my way because I am absolutely certain my way is correct?
- In what aspects of my faith do I believe other people are wrong because they don’t practice it like I do?
With this attitude, I reflect on Jesus’ words.
I cannot do anything on my own
On a good day, you’ll hear me allude to the notion of needing divine help to get things done. But, most often, I invest a lot of energy earning my way to success physically and spiritually.
Externally, I may be asking God to let me know what he wants of me but, internally, the request is conditioned on doing it the way I think best.
It is a “tell me, Lord, want you want of me, as long as it is what I want and the way I want it” prayer.
The Jews questioning Jesus believed following the Law was only way to do things right by God.
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just
I can’t speak for you but I certainly believe I am right every time I’m judging something or someone. Especially, when it’s something I am passionate about.
Also, I believe I am objective in my judgment and thorough with my thinking process.
I carefully look at the evidence, extract the story, and pass along the verdict.
“But, how can I be so certain that my judgment is just when I cannot see what is in the person’s heart, their intention, their circumstances and their mental state?
Because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me
I think this condition has two phases.
- Who’s will am I exercising? Mine or the one sending me?
- Who is the one sending me? Who you serve?
It isn’t sufficient to let go of having our way at all times, we also need to ensure we are giving the space to the right “person.”
Many times, I have let the word of an apparent “expert” dictate how I operate just to find out they were only projecting their view of the world on me.
Hence, humility of placing ourselves in service of someone greater counts, but we must ensure that person is the right one. As Catholics, we believe only the triune God, deserves that high place.
This lent, I am fervently working on relinquishing my will AND replacing it with the will of God.
Let us faithfully ask for the graces to have the courage to set aside our personal agenda and humbly open our hearts to receive and follow God’s plan for our lives.
In peace,
~Juan
