God’s Will: Tightrope or Superhighway?

Often, we tend to struggle with figuring out God’s will for our lives.  I believe some of us have a narrow view of God’s perfect will for the life He has given us.  For years, I struggled with thinking God’s will was a tightrope stretched over a superhighway.  I was to stay on the tightrope at all costs.  Should I make a wrong decision, I would suffer the inevitable fall onto the superhighway and I would be decimated by all the moving cars, otherwise known as consequences.

What would the tightrope of God’s will look like to you?  We all know the setup of the circus tightrope and there is always a net.  But in my version of the tightrope, there was no net.  I lived in fear that there was one perfect path for my life and only one way to exist on that path. 

“I lived in fear that there was one perfect path for my life and only one way to exist on that path.”

But the perfect existence escaped me.  In my mind, there was no wiggle room, and when something happened that caused me to fall, I had convinced myself I would suffer consequences that would cause all hope to be lost.  And most of all, God would be disappointed in me and maybe even done with me.  

Recently, I have begun to notice that if His will is a tightrope, that means we have very little room to move. But more importantly, we have very little room for the free will that He very intentionally instilled within us.  The free will to be, to move, and to make choices in such a way that we can experience success AND failure.  Free will to fail, to learn, and to grow.  A life without room to move doesn’t sound like the God I have come to know.  So, what does He really want for us?

He wants to take us on an adventure of a lifetime while we are here on earth.  He created us to think outside the box and discover new ways of living in His Spirit and for His glory.  If we haven’t already, we need to climb down from the tightrope of our own making and give ourselves permission to live on the superhighway.  

“He wants to take us on an adventure of a lifetime while we are here on earth.  He created us to think outside the box and discover new ways of living in His Spirit and for His glory.”

What does that superhighway look like?  It is a multi-lane “FREEway”, heading down a certain path and in a certain direction, and there are lanes of freedom where we can make our own choices.  Some of those choices will lead to failures, but with the Lord’s help, those failures will lead to tremendous growth.  Other choices will lead to victories we can’t imagine, especially when those victories are the direct result of hardships and circumstances through which He will never leave nor forsake us.

What is required to live and move and have our being on this superhighway?  We must seek first the Kingdom of God and then be anxious for nothing. (Matthew 6:31-34, paraphrased).  As we make Him our priority, pursue and rest in His presence and in His Word, we are revving up the engine of the Holy Spirit within us.

Next, obedience.  If we faithfully obey the voice of the Lord and keep His commands, we can trust in His blessings. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14, paraphrased).  When He knows it is our desire and intent to obey His voice, we are free to move on and within the superhighway of His will. It takes time and practice to discern the voice of God, but it is there and He will never stop speaking.

“It takes time and practice to discern the voice of God, but it is there and He will never stop speaking.”

If we are seeking Him and His Kingdom first and obeying His voice, the options are unlimited.  Will there still be tough times?  Yes.  Will we slip up and need to repent and get back on track? Definitely.  Thankfully, we can still rest in the assurance of His grace. And now, we see that living in His will does not mean walking an impossibly straight line strung over hellfire and brimstone.  Because He already paid the price for our freedom, we can trust that He is blessed when we live and move freely, trusting in Him alone.  Remember, it is for liberty that Christ has set us free. (Galatians 5:1, paraphrased).

“And now, we see that living in His will does not mean walking an impossibly straight line strung over hellfire and brimstone.”

Enjoy the ride!