We are not God’s puppets

WE are children of God, and not his puppets or robots. The

freedom he gives us is real freedom because it can even enable us to

go against the true nature, source, meaning and purpose of freedom

itself. We can use it—or better said, misuse or abuse it—to go against

God himself.

            While it is true that God is always on top of things, he

allows us to use our freedom the way we want it. Remember those famous

lines in the Book of Ecclesiastes that articulate this truth: “There

is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the

heavens…” (3,1)

            Even if he is on top of everything, he does not treat us

as his puppets or robots whom he controls. He treats us as his

children, for that is how he has created and designed us. We are

supposed to be his image and likeness.

            As such, his dominion over us is a dominion of love. It is

a dominion that is akin to that of the parents over their children,

but much, much better than that. In fact, it is infinitely better.

            There is some forcefulness involved there, but one that is

not coercive. There is obedience and docility involved also, but one

that does not compromise freedom. When we obey God and follow his will

and ways, we do it because we want it and we know that it is good for

us. Yes, there is some fear involved, but not of the servile kind, but

rather of the filial type.

            This dominion of love comes as a result of the abundant

and gratuitous outpouring of God’s goodness over us—his grace, his

blessings, his inspirations, etc. He is full of compassion, slow to

anger, quick to forgive.

            He provides us with everything that we need, especially

the things that we most need in our quest for true happiness, our

ultimate salvation, our fulfilment as image and likeness of God,

children of his.

            It is because God loves us first that we learn to love him

and others in return. It is this love that enables us to live and use

our freedom properly. And this love-inspired freedom leads us to our

true joy where truth, beauty and everything that is good for us are

integrated.

            This love-inspired freedom makes us realistic with the

realities of our earthly life where there will always be mixture of

good and evil, successes and failures, joy and sorrows, health and

sickness. It’s not afraid of suffering. In fact, it welcomes

suffering. Neither does it spoil us when we happen to have good things

in life.

            We understand that freedom as the freedom of the children

of God, where we are willing to unite our will with the will of God.

We would never feel that we are enslaved or tied down by God.

            The unavoidable conditionings that our earthly life

entails will never be regarded as limitations. They would be assumed

willingly and lovingly. They would be regarded as means and occasions

to further our development as a person and a child of God, despite the

cost, inconveniences and sacrifices that they may involve. In short,

they are seen as what would enhance our freedom, not what would deter

it.

            To be sure, God does not want us to be mere puppets and

robots of his. He wants us to be like him, full of love and goodness.

We just have to understand that for our freedom to be true freedom, we

have to live and exercise it always with God’s will and ways in mind.

            That is why we need to develop a close relationship with

him who actually initiated an intimate relationship with us. It was he

who started that relationship. We just have to try our best to

correspond to that relationship, in spite of our weaknesses and

mistakes.