Love and free will
As I went over in class, the author of Sick Souls Healthy Minds talked about this thing called a second wind. The second wind gives you a reason or something worth living for. For many people who suffer from depression or self-image issues, there can come a time when everything around you seems helpless, and they may try and take their life. For some people who come out of that place, this creates a force that propels people forward in life and gives them a second wind (SSHM pg.46). I had a time in my life when I felt helpless, struggling to find something worth having time for. I struggled to have passionate relationships and find something worth living for. I was desperate, and it seemed like the helpless pit was getting deeper and deeper. I didn't feel like anything was going well for me and I started thinking it would be better if I weren't here. Then during my sophomore year of college, I found out what was worth living for, my second wind: living a life serving God and loving other people.
Are religious people happier, healthier?
In the same way, William James decided to believe in free will (SSHM pg. 49), and I also started to think that I had control over my life and had the option to be free from faults. It just was in a very counter-culturally way. It required that I submit myself to God; we often in this society think that submitting ourselves and humbling ourselves is terrible, but it is essential in God's eyes. I was given hope, something to live for, and faith in something greater than myself. Faith in someone who will never let me down, someone who already gave their life for me when I was unworthy. Someone who designed me personally when I was in my mother's womb, who has been watching and waiting for a time I needed him. As the author's example of falling in love and free will are the same, I also think that using your free will to submit to God will have the same radical effects on your life. His plan will alter your life, and since it's a personal relationship with him, it's forever growing, and it's all a unique experience. Having confidence in the teachings of Jesus Christ leads you into a life worth living because it's no longer for yourself but for your neighbors, friends, family, and the King of all Kings.
Free will? Why is it important?
There were two things that Jesus asked all of humankind to do after he left. That was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. We know we have come to love the Lod when we keep his commandments. We all have sinned, fallen short of God's glory, and don't deserve his love. But after all of that, the best part is that God demonstrated his love for us because while we were still sinners, he sent his son to die for us on the cross. He paid the debt of sin in full so that we may live according to the commandments, and if we do sin, we have an advocate who can say, "Your sins are forgiven." The second thing Jesus asked us to do is to love our neighbor as ourselves. I find no greater joy than unselfishly seeking the best for other people in my life. True love means you give everything you can to people without expecting anything in return. So, when the author talks about William James and how his falling in love with his wife changed his life, and how he took a leap of faith into something, it sounds a lot like biblical love.
William James was affected by his father telling him that there is no free will in life which is not valid. This cause James to be very depressed and hopeless as it seems like you have no power over his life. That is not true; we do have free will to either live our life according to r own selfish desires or to submit ourselves to God and serve his kingdom. I lived my life for 20 years thinking that everything would happen for a reason, that my decisions were the best, and that I knew the best ways to do things. Then when I finally put my life in God's hands and allowed him to be the center of my life, he changed me for the better. I had to choose to submit myself, though, and I had to mean it. That meant giving up many things that I liked, but they were not healthy for me. I just convinced myself that it was ok. My decisions led me into hardship because I didn't want to humble myself before the lord. None of my hardships came from God, but they all allowed his glory to shine because I am such a different person from who I used to be. Even if I do suffer or face troubles, it's never going to be able to pull me away from God's love.
If God Is in Control, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Us?
I think love is a strong enough emotion to give us something to live for. I believe godly love brings peace and something worth living for. Love is more potent than anything I can think of. It makes me do some crazy things. God loves us so much and doesn't want us to suffer. He is slow to anger and is patient with us, allowing us to walk freely and even curse him, yet when we call on him, he answers lovingly without hesitation. When we do make God upset with us, he doesn't look at us in our shame. He looks at the Lamb of God, the holy sacrifice, and thinks that was enough. He is more significant than our sins. That all comes from the fact that he loves us. Free will and love do go hand in hand. It is different from what the world will tell you because it's not love from the world. It's love from a higher power.
The Biggest Question Why ?
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