There are ranges of beliefs within the Christian Church concerning God's work in the world. There are those who say that everything that happens is for a direct and divine purpose. There are others (like myself) who believe that if we surrender everything that happens to God, a divine purpose can be created.

What do you believe about God's providence? Is it divine guidance or divine destiny?

The other day, when someone asked me this question, I responded that the longer I live the Christian life, the more I am convinced that God chooses to act as a divine influencer, not as a divine compeller. As we surrender to God we enter into a process with God to bring about a divine purpose.

Many love to discuss doctrinal differences but the reality is that whatever a Christian believes about God's work in the world and in their life, they generally respond to that belief in the same way. We pray. We surrender. We trust. We obey.

But on a personal level, believing that God chooses to guide and influence with the invitation to surrender, brings a sense of energy to my Christian walk. I am a partner with God in a creative endeavor. My choices all have great meaning when my choices are surrendered to God.

Romans 12:1,2 contains some powerful words. As translated in The Message, it reads;

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walkingaround life-and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well- adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.

Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.

Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops wellformed maturity in you."

I am captured by the idea that my surrender gives God the opportunity to bring out the best in me.

Addi- tionally, my surr ender gives God the opportunity to bring out the best for me.

S o what do I do with pain and trials? I don't believe that God is giving them to me in order to teach me some lesson. I do believe that if I give them to God He can teach me a lesson through them. So I try to do what these verses suggest. I place them before God as an offering. .

I've been on this earth for forty-eight years now. When I have surrendered to the divine influence I share great joy with God. When I have resisted I have grieved God. Sometimes my resistance results in painful circumstances. Sometimes, painful circumstances occur even though I have been surrendered to God.

I have known sorrow. I have known joy. Life is full of variety.

Through it all, more and more, I find growing peace, not in saying to God,

"I accept that you are doing this for a purpose."

But rather:

"I surrender to the purpose you can bring out of this."

What do you think? chaplain_barbara@yaho o.ca