Who is doing the work? ...

Monday, June 11, 2012. How strong are your contribution to your fate? Are you in control of your success, of all the things which happen to you? How far does your control go? Are you doing the work which is leading you to the next step in your life?

General and personal perspective …

We need to briefly look at two general perspectives. First of all, there is the general perspective. Society is influencing itself. We harvest what we sowed. We earn the consequences of our actions. In the general view we are in control by natural laws, and we earn what we deserve. That might be true on some general level.

But there is the individual perspective as well. The single person is not completely influencing its fate. We try, but there are many things going on. We cannot completely control or even influence what will happen to us. We do not know which opportunities turn up. We do not know what might come into our way, even if we plan and prepare something for years!

Who is doing the work for bringing us forward? Is it us? Is it others, our network? Or is all random? Are we just moved here and there by an ocean of events, which are not really rational or even causal?

Biblical viewpoint …

There is the biblical point of view. The bible sees many actors in the world, human and spiritual. It sees many things happen. But it also knows the power of the Lord Almighty. The creator is in control. He is the one who will make things happen, or who will allow fate to strike us.

It is God, who is giving us success or failure. He is the one who is allowing some to gain wealth, others to stay in suppression to let the sin of their suppressors become complete. We will work, and we have some influence on our fate. But the world as a whole - from an individual viewpoint - cannot be influenced by us. Only the Lord is able to keep the forces of evil under control. Prayer is needed, we need him to help, to protect and to guide us on all levels of our life!

God wants us to contribute to our fate with our work. We are doing work, but it is HIS work to help us through! It is his grace, when we succeed. It is his love which has brought us where we are, his patience, his wisdom. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts